A Different Journey
by Seigetsu Ren
Summary: Kikyou is alive. After 50 years of slumber, both Inuyasha and she has awaken, only to find the sacred jewel stolen and broken by the demons. A new journey is about to begin. InuKik
1. Prologue

Motoko Aoyama: Hi there! This is the first time I tried to write an Inuyasha fanfic so please bear with me if I make a mistake here and there. Since I'm a Kikyou fan, I'm going to write a lot about her in this story, so if you don't like Kikyou, don't read my story. Another thing is that if you don't like the story, please just don't review. I don't want anybody flaming me. Aside from that, I'll try my hardest to make this story a pleasing one to read. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, although I would really like to!

**A Different Journey**

Prologue

" As long as I have this, I can become a real youkai! I won't let them call me a hanyou anymore!" Inuyasha said to himself as he ran away from the village holding the darkening sacred jewel in his hand. Suddenly, he heard an angry, hateful voice behind him. It was, Kikyou.

" Inuyasha!"

Time seemed to pause for a moment as the wounded priestess ran after the hanyou, leaving a trail of blood behind.

" I trusted you, I really trusted you," the miko yelled in her mind.

" I never doubted you, not even once, but you..." the hanyou thought.

Kikyou grasped the bow firmly with her left hand, while she released the arrow with her right. The arrow soared in the air and made its way to Inuyasha. He was surprised, shocked, angry to see the arrow coming towards him, yet he could do nothing as it struck his chest, pinning him to the goshinboku tree where they were to meet each other on that fateful day. The chain holding the Shikon no Tama slipped silently out of Inuyasha's hand, and landed on the ground in front of Kikyou.

" Kikyou...how could you..." Inuyasha managed to let these words slip out of his mouth. He felt his strength leaving him quickly, his mind clouded in drowsiness. All he could do was to watch Kikyou bend down to pick up the Shikon no Tama, blood still dripping from her shoulder. Kaede and the villagers rushed up to the injured priestess and they all spoke at once in concern. As his vision began to blur, Inuyasha recalled the memories he shared with Kikyou, the happiest memories of his life, and he felt his heart soften. He no longer felt hatred or anger; he was just a sad and lonely soul.

" Am I going to die like this? Oh well, that's all right with me. Kikyou, even though things turn out this way, I...still..." Inuyasha whispered until he finally gave in to the eternal slumber placed on him by Kikyou's arrow.

As Inuyasha's mind drifted away, Kikyou held up the Shikon jewel, and summoning the last of her strength, she spoke to Kaede in a commanding tone.

" The Shikon no Tama has been polluted by someone like him. Listen well, Kaede, take the Shikon no Tama and burn it with my body, so that it will never pass into the hands of evil things again!"

With that, Kikyou fell slowly to the ground. Kaede was yelling for her sister at the top of her lungs, but no response came. The wind blew the goshinboku leaves from side to side, swaying slightly above Kaede. Her sister's words about the tree rang continuously in her head.

" You see, the goshinboku leaves have amazing medical properties. It could heal any wound, and it could even restore the life of someone who is dying. However, it will put that person in an eternal slumber and his or her body would never be decomposed, very much like a demon sealed to this tree by the fuuin no ya..."

Kaede didn't hesitate the slightly bit as she pulled down a small branch of the goshinboku tree, and beat her fist on the leaves in hopes of turning them into mash that she could apply on her sister's wounds. When she had a handful of the mash of leaves, she spread it on Kikyou's shoulder. Like magic, the bleeding stopped and the wounded started to heal itself. Kikyou was breathing again, and when Kaede checked her pulse, it was weak but present. She survived.

" Is Kikyou-sama okay?" a villager asked.

" She'll not wake up for a while, but she's alive, she will live," Kaede answered.

Motoko Aoyama: Sorry about the short prologue that was basically retelling the events of episode 148 in the anime. I hope you liked the twist at the end. Since it is the prologue, I really don't have much to say except that I hope you liked it and will kindly leave a review behind. Anyway, in the next chapter Kagome will come into the scene and a different journey will begin!


	2. Revived

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for all your support! This is going to be Kikyou/Inuyasha, so if you hate Kikyou, don't read on and don't flame! However, Kagome will get quite a lot of attention since it IS more fun to read about love triangles, right? I certainly like that, haha, so please bear with me for the time being. Here is the next chapter of my story! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, otherwise I won't be so poor, right?

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 1

" What is happening?" Higurashi Kagome whispered to herself as she felt a strong surge of energy pull her downwards as she tumbled into the old well near the shrine where she resided with her family. When the energy stopped yanking her downwards, Kagome looked up to see light shining through the well. She must climb out of the well. Afterwards, everything will be fine. Or so it seemed.

Kagome climbed out of the well to see that she was in the middle of a forest. Near the well stood a goshinboku tree and something very queer caused Kagome to gasp in surprise. A boy dressed in strange, ancient garments was sealed onto the tree with an arrow protruding out of his chest.

" Oh my God..." Kagome said as she walked over towards the boy in fear and curiosity. At first, it was really scary to see the long, green vines wrap around the body, indicating that he was sealed there for a very long time, but when Kagome saw the cute dog ears sticking out of the flowing silver hair on the boy's head, she forget all about her fear.

" Are those real?" Kagome asked, but no one answered her. She started to rub the fuzzy ears in content, squeezing them slightly to feel that indeed they were real!

Meanwhile, Inuyasha felt a pair of warm hands on his ears. He hadn't felt anything for so long, being in his fifty years slumber. Suddenly, the breeze brought a very familiar scent to his nose, bringing back the memories from years ago, the painful memory of Kikyou screaming his name in anger and hatred before shooting the arrow that would seal him to the tree for eternity.

" Kikyou!" Inuyasha screamed as his eyes flicked open. Kagome let go of his ears in shock as she gazed at the angry countenance of the boy that was once sleeping in front of her. His golden eyes were glaring at Kagome, and she was absolutely freaked out.

" Why did you betray me, Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked angrily as he looked at Kagome, who resembled Kikyou greatly. When Kagome didn't answer, he started to look closely at the girl.

" What are you doing in those strange clothes?" Inuyasha asked again in a softer tone, realizing that this girl might not really be Kikyou.

" Err...shouldn't I be the one to ask why are you wearing those strange clothes? By the way, I've never seen anyone with such a strange habit as sleeping against a tree with an arrow on their chest," Kagome said once she regained her confidence.

" None of your business, bitch!" Inuyasha yelled angrily as a million questions appeared in his mind. Why didn't Kikyou's arrow kill him? Did she just use...the fuuin no ya? If that is the case, how did he suddenly wake up?

" What are you looking at? And who is this Kikyou person?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha's eyes surveyed every inch of her face. She looked so much like Kikyou! Was it possible that they had alike souls? Was it possible that this girl could free him?

" Hey, I'm stuck here. It's not like a strange habit I have sleeping with an arrow attached to me. You look like a nice person, so why not try to free me from this stupid tree?" Inuyasha tried his best to be polite, knowing that this girl could be the only one able to free him.

" Why should I?" Kagome asked, since Inuyasha seemed not at all polite to her.

" Just pull that damn arrow out of me, bitch!" Inuyasha screamed in anger. Kagome turned to leave, so he screamed for her to stop.

" Wait! I'll give you something to eat if you free me! Please?" Inuyasha begged. Kagome was about to walk on, but her growling stomach answered her.

" It won't hurt to pull that arrow out, so why not free that guy? I'm kind of hungry anyways," Kagome thought as she turned around towards the boy. He smiled as she touched the arrow in his chest. Once it was pulled out, he would be free, finally!

" This thing is so hard to pull!" Kagome yelled as she yanked at the arrow with all her strength. A blinding light came out of the hole in Inuyasha's chest where the arrow was stuck and finally, the arrow escaped, tumbling onto the ground along with Kagome.

" I'm free! Sankontessou!" Inuyasha yelled, his claws slicing through the vines confining him to the tree. Dusting himself off, he turned to the girl.

" Here is all the money I have. Go get yourself food," Inuyasha said as he tossed some coins on the ground beside the girl. He ran off quickly towards Kikyou's cottage with Kagome tagging behind him.

" I can't buy anything in the middle of a forest, you stupid dog-boy! Stop running!" Kagome yelled as she tried her best to follow the hanyou. Soon he was out of sight, only leaving a trail of footmarks for the high school girl to follow.

Inuyasha ran and ran, the trees rushing past him as he traced the familiar trail he had taken that fateful day when Kikyou had put him to sleep on the goshinboku tree. The shrine where the Shikon no Tama was once housed rose in front of the hanyou, the place where he would find the girl he loved and hated, Kikyou.

" In...Inuyasha?" An old woman stumbled out of the house upon hearing the swift footsteps of the hanyou. Her right eye was blinded, and covered with a black eyepatch, and she was dressed in the traditional white hakui and red hakama of Shinto priestesses. Inuyasha paid no attention to the elderly miko as he rushed forward towards the shrine.

" Get lost you old hag," Inuyasha shouted as he pushed the old priestess aside.

" You can't go in! Kikyou onee-sama is resting!" the miko answered. She was Kaede, Kikyou's younger sister who had lived on for fifty years after Inuyasha was sealed.

" Kikyou!" Inuyasha yelled with anger and frustration as he rushed inside. His voice traveled into Kikyou's ears and rang in her mind, reminding her of what had happened that day. The claws down her shoulders, the fresh blood gushing out of her wound, the sound of Inuyasha's voice telling her that he had never wanted to become human. All this seemed to overpower the effects of the goshinboku leaves. The anger, hatred, hurtful feelings brought Kikyou out of her slumber. Her eyes flicked open, her hands shot for the bows and arrows beside where she lay, and instantly, she came to life.

" Inuyasha..." Kikyou muttered in a hateful tone as she drew an arrow at the hanyou, "this time you won't wake up..."

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked that chapter! Please give me some feedback on how I did and I will try my best to update soon! Here are some explanations about the Japanese I used in this chapter, just in case you don't know (although I think most of you know much more about Inuyasha than I do, hehe)

Goshinboku: A type of tree that is said to be able to transcend time. Inuyasha was sealed to this tree, so his body never decomposed throughout the years.

Fuuin no ya: Sealing arrow. Kikyou uses this to put demons into an eternal slumber. It was this attack that sealed Inuyasha to the goshinboku tree.

Sankontessou: Soul-scattering Iron Claws. Inuyasha commonly use this attack to slice his enemies apart.

Shikon no Tama: Jewel of Four Souls. It is this purplish, circular jewel created when Priestess Midoriko had drawn the demons inside herself in order to seal them (kind of hard to explain, so if you don't know what it is, go watch the anime or read the manga). It can be used for both good and evil.

Youkai: Demonic beings with supernatural powers.

Hanyou: Half-demon, half-human, like Inuyasha.

Miko: Shinto priestess

Hakui: white top worn by mikos

Hakama: red pants (looks kind of like a dress, but they are pants) worn by mikos

Sorry for being weird, but I'm just trying to make sure that everyone knows what is going on. If any of my so-called translations are wrong, please notify me. Thanks for reading! Hope to hear from you all through the review system! Ja ne!


	3. Jewel Mystery Revealed!

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your comments! I hope you all are enjoying this story! Anyway, here comes the next chapter of this story, so please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the anime, the manga, or the character Inuyasha, haha!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 2

Kaede was shocked. Inuyasha had leapt in the air towards Kikyou, who had just revived and was drawing an arrow at the hanyou. She knew that Kikyou was still weak from the injuries she had suffered fifty years ago, and that Inuyasha's youkai powers might be fatal towards Kikyou, but how could she help her older sister?

Kaede didn't carry any weapons with her. As she tried to find something she could at least throw at Inuyasha, she touched the smooth kotodama beads in her sleeve. Yes, the kotodama beads that Kikyou had wanted to give to Inuyasha. When Kikyou says the special word, Inuyasha would not be able to attack her!

Just when Inuyasha was about to release an attack on Kikyou, and when Kikyou was about to release her arrow, Kaede had sent the kotodama beads around Inuyasha's neck, forming a necklace Inuyasha would never be able to take off.

" Die!" Kikyou called as she released the arrow. Amazingly, the kotodama beads glowed brightly, and Inuyasha suddenly slammed into the ground as the arrow sped into the distance above him.

Inuyasha's body slam had surprised Kikyou although she was the one who made the necklace of kotodama beads in the first place. For an instant, she had forgotten her hatred towards Inuyasha and started to notice her surroundings. Who was that elderly, slightly obese miko with a blind right eye? As for herself, why didn't she die from the fatal wounds inflicted on her? Her hand reached over to her shoulder where the wound was once located, but all she felt was a slight scar. However, she did smell goshinboku leaves, and finally she figured out that she was the source of the smell. Someone had saved her using goshinboku leaves.

" Are you the one who saved me, miko-sama?" Kikyou asked Kaede.

" I'm Kaede, Kikyou onee-sama. I've applied goshinboku leaves to your wound, thus you fell into a deep slumber for fifty years without aging, just like Inuyasha," Kaede answered.

Inuyasha had recovered by then, and was getting up angrily, growling at Kaede who had placed the kotodama bead around him. He tried to take it off, to pull it apart, but it didn't work. It was stuck around his neck.

" It's useless, Inuyasha. I'm the one who made the necklace, so I'm the only one who can take it off your neck. As long as the necklace stays where it is now, you'll be powerless when I call that special word," Kikyou explained now that she wasn't as angry as before.

" Shut up, Kikyou! Now tell me, why did you betray me?" Inuyasha yelled.

" Me? Betray you? You were the one who nearly killed me on the day we were supposed to meet in front of the goshinboku! You were the one who stole the jewel from me, the one who burnt my village! And you call me the betrayer? You are the real betrayer! The one who never wanted to become a human! The one who deceived me!" Kikyou screamed as her anger returned.

" What are you talking about? I never hurt you! You were the one who called me a hanyou and tried to kill me. After that, you sealed me to the goshinboku for fifty years! Now who is the betrayer? You are!" Inuyasha screamed back at her.

All of a sudden, the skies turned dark as a bunch of demons passed by. Kikyou grabbed her bow and arrows and began to shoot them down. Meanwhile, Kagome was tracing Inuyasha's tracks to the shrine where the Shikon no Tama was once housed when all of a sudden, there was a rain of blood, youkai blood.

" Damn those weaklings, Hijinkessou!" Inuyasha yelled as he shot out blades of blood towards those demons, all the while thinking about Kikyou. Was it possible that they were both deceived? Was it possible that the betrayal was fake? That someone who wanted them to hate each other was behind all this? He was no longer sure about his hatred towards Kikyou. All he wanted to do was to find out the truth, and Kikyou could not die before the truth was found.

When Kagome arrived at the scene, the skies were about to clear. All the smaller demons were destroyed except for a giant dragon youkai that launched itself at Kikyou. Inuyasha stepped forth and attacked the demon with his famous " Sankontessou." An arm of the dragon youkai was instantly blasted apart, but it merely shot a whirl of fire at the hanyou while pieces of its arm integrated again. How could it regenerate so quickly?

" The Shikon Jewel!" Kikyou and Kagome whispered at the same time. They both saw the purplish glint of the jewel embedded on the youkai's forehead, and instantly Kikyou recognized the object that had caused all the suffering she had gone through, and Kagome recognized the object whose story her grandfather had tried to tell her. Kikyou drew an arrow, and with a strong glow of purifying energy, it hit the youkai's forehead where the jewel was embedded, and the youkai blasted apart immediately, the jewel dropping onto the ground with a short, ringing sound.

" This is only a jewel shard? What happened to the rest of the jewel, Kaede?" Kikyou asked as she picked up the jewel shard from the ground.

" The day you sealed Inuyasha to the tree before passing out from the serious injuries, many demons came to steal the Shikon no Tama. They battled and fought for days and days for the sacred jewel, and at the end, they accidentally broke it, the shards spreading far and wide across our country," Kaede explained.

" This is very bad. As the guardian of the sacred jewel, I must set off to recollect the fragments and purify them," Kikyou said as she picked up her bow and a quiver of arrows, preparing to set off on the quest to retrieve the Shikon no Tama.

" Wait up, Kikyou!" Inuyasha yelled after her.

" Don't follow me," Kikyou warned as she turned around to stare at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha ignored and walked towards Kikyou, wanting to protect her since he understood that Kikyou couldn't possibly have betrayed him. It must be a mistake.

" Die!" Kikyou yelled. Inuyasha hit the floor with a deafening thud while Kikyou walked off into the distance.

" I must retrieve the shards, and find out what really happened fifty years ago," Kikyou thought as she walked away. She didn't want Inuyasha to come with her, fearing that he would interfere with her journey.

While Inuyasha struggled to get up, Kagome came up to him, reaching out her hand as if to ask for something. Inuyasha spat on it and ran away after Kikyou.

" I gave you money already, what do you want?" Inuyasha yelled.

" You call this money? This is not Japanese currency, and I obviously can't buy anything to eat in the wilderness!" Kagome yelled angrily.

Inuyasha didn't answer her. Angrily, Kagome yelled at him.

" You should really go die!"

At the sound of the magical word, Inuyasha's necklace glowed once more and he tumbled on the ground with a loud bang.

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Hope to hear from you all through the review system. I will try my best to update soon! Coming up next: Kikyou's unsurpassable barrier, giant snake demon that shoots out invisible poison, lecherous monk with mysterious wind tunnel, and the journey for Shikon shards begin!


	4. Sengoku Jidai?

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your support! Sorry about the late update! I just got a little caught up in schoolwork and visiting Inuyasha sites to get more knowledge on this series. Anyway, this chapter doesn't have a lot of Kikyou in it, so hope that you won't mind. Once again, please don't bash Kikyou or my fic, because I like Kikyou and my fic, otherwise I won't be writing it, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters although I would really like to!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 3

" Damn you..." Inuyasha cursed as he tried to get up, but Kikyou and Kagome's sound activated "Die, Inuyasha" device was too much for his poor back. He fell onto the ground once more, catching a familiar scent imprinted in the soil.

" Yes, I can follow the scent to find Kikyou!" Inuyasha thought as he began to crawl on the ground, sniffing.

" By the way, is your name something like...Inuyasha? Doesn't that mean dog demon? Why would you have a name like that?" Kagome asked.

" What do you mean by that? Can't you see that I am a dog demon?" Inuyasha yelled.

" A hanyou to be precise," Kaede added as she approached them.

" Don't talk to me as if you know my whole life-story old wench, whatever Kikyou called you by. Seems like I'm not aware of little details about unimportant people such as yourself," Inuyasha said.

" Apparently, you don't realize that I'm the younger sister of Kikyou, therefore my knowledge on you, Inuyasha," Kaede replied calmly.

" You are that little brat? Impossible!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

There was a long silence. Kaede was sweatdropping, having noticed that Inuyasha had only paid attention to Kikyou during their whole conversation, only Kikyou and nothing else. Kagome's head was swirling. Was she stuck in a dream? Just a minute ago a priestess had shot down hundreds of weird beasts called demons, and down dropped a piece of the legendary Shikon no Tama. Just then, another priestess was arguing with a dog demon, or hanyou, or whatever. Where was she? What is happening?

" Excuse me for a second, but this isn't Tokyo, is it?" Kagome asked.

" Tokyo? Is that a demon's name?" Kaede asked.

" Stop being stupid, old lady. It must be some sort of foreign food," Inuyasha remarked as Kagome swiftly tumbled on the ground in frustration.

" Is it possible that I'm in another era? Look at all those weird outfit people wear and these crazy demon creatures running around!" Kagome thought.

" Can you tell me what sort of battles take place nowadays?" Kagome asked, hoping that her limited historical knowledge would help her figure out what time period she was stuck in.

" A lot of battles take place, which one do you mean? Practically every day of the year there are fights all over the country," Kaede answered.

Fights...a lot of fights...there is only one time period that is characterized by endless fighting. In fact, the name of the time period reflects the continual conflicts. Yes, this was the Sengoku Jidai, the Warring States Era.

As Kagome's mental light bulb seemed to have lighted, she just noticed Kaede and Inuyasha were yelling at each other again. Inuyasha was claiming that Kaede wasn't Kaede, while the elderly miko argued that she was being truthful. Just when Inuyasha was about to grab the poor old woman, Kagome yelled the magic word and Inuyasha tumbled on the ground.

" What was that for?" Inuyasha asked angrily.

" For being rude to the elderly," Kagome answered as she walked off.

Inuyasha got up and tried to sniff for Kikyou's tracks again. Kagome had no where to go except to follow the weird hanyou around, hoping that she would come across the well where she had climbed out of. Perhaps she could go back to her time using it!

" Hey, do you know the way back to the well?" Kagome asked.

" I'll tell you when I find Kikyou," Inuyasha said as he stood up abruptly.

Kagome looked at the hanyou curiously as he sniffed the air. His expression was turning into that of anger as he took more and more sniffs of the air.

" I lost it! Why?" Inuyasha yelled as he rushed into the direction that the scent had led him. All of a sudden, a blue glow emitted from in front of Inuyasha, and a terrible shock of energy sent him sprawling on the ground.

" What was that?" Kagome asked.

" A barrier!" Inuyasha punched angrily at the barrier, only to be thrown back once more.

" Well, why don't you just go collect those Shikon jewel shards? Since that Kikyou person is collecting them as well, won't you meet her on the way if you do that too?" Kagome pointed out.

" Oh yeah! Didn't you see that shard too? When we find the first shard, I'll bring you to that well, okay?" Inuyasha asked, trying to strike a deal with the strange girl.

" Well...fine. I think a shard seems to be somewhere ahead of us," Kagome answered.

Inuyasha smiled contentedly as he grabbed Kagome harshly and placed her on his back. He leapt into the air and ran swiftly in the direction of where Kagome had pointed, hoping to find the first shard as soon as possible. Maybe Kikyou was heading there too!

Meanwhile, Kagome blushed a bright red as she clung onto Inuyasha to try and stay on his back. Although Inuyasha wasn't quite like a human boy, he was a hanyou, which probably meant that he was half human! She had never grabbed onto a human boy before, except her younger brother that doesn't really count, right?

" What am I thinking?" Kagome said aloud to wake herself up from her little trance.

" Huh?" Inuyasha asked as he turned slightly to stare at Kagome.

" Nothing...I think the shard is in that cavern," Kagome said as she pointed to the cave in front of them. Inuyasha covered his sensitive nose with his sleeve when he smelled an overwhelming odor coming from the cavern. It seemed acidic and rotten, and it made them dizzy even though they were only at the entrance of the cave.

" Are you sure it is this way?" Inuyasha asked, turning his attention on Kagome instead of the cave.

All of a sudden, Kagome spotted a wave of black substance gushing at them from within the cave. Inuyasha didn't seem to have noticed as he was still busily surveying Kagome.

" Watch out!" Kagome screamed!

Motoko Aoyama: Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter. I thought I would introduce Miroku and get to the first shard in this chapter too, but I guess I kind of ran out of time. My apologies! Please continue to support my fic though! I hope you liked it! Next Chapter: lecherous monk with wind tunnel, the demon with invisible venom, and who have come to rescue out favorite hanyou? Is that...Kikyou?


	5. Enter: Miroku!

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for the people reading and reviewing! I hope to hear from you all once again. However, as I've said before, this is a Kikyou fic so if you hate Kikyou and wants to flame people for liking her, just don't read! There's no point in reading something you don't like, right? Anyway, sorry for my late update! I'll try to make it up by making this chapter as entertaining as possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters, although I would love to!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 4

" What?" Inuyasha asked as he turned to face Kagome on his back. Kagome was yelling at him to get away but he was merely stunned at all the yelling. All of a sudden, Inuyasha toppled over and gripped himself tightly in pain.

" Hey, are you alright?" Kagome asked as she bent over on the fallen Inuyasha who she saw was bathed in the black liquid. Her legs, being exposed to the liquid, started to hurt slightly, but otherwise she was okay.

" What is happening? Why am I in pain?" Inuyasha asked.

" Must be all the black stuff. We have to get away quick!" Kagome exclaimed.

" Black? Where?" Inuyasha asked once more.

Only then did Kagome realize that she was the only one who could see the toxic liquid coming. It must be invisible to Inuyasha for some strange reason! Just then, Inuyasha grew very pale and fainted amidst the depths of the venom.

" Dog-boy! Answer me!" Kagome shouted. However, the only answer she got was a hiss from a creature coming out of the tavern. It was a giant snake that had bent itself towards the sky so that it towered above the shocked girl. When it opened its jaws to swallow up its prey, Kagome could see the glow of a purple shard, the Shikon shard!

" Damn you for being able to see my venom! I'll kill you along with that hanyou!" the creature hissed once more as it lunged itself at Kagome. In the sudden danger, all Kagome could do was to try and push the creature away from her, and in doing so, a sudden blast of white energy hit the creature in the forehead, making a deep scar in its slippery skin.

" You bitch! I'll teach you a lesson!" the creature cursed as it wrapped itself around Kagome. Just when it was about to bite into her shoulder, an ofuda planted itself upon the creature's bloody scar, and then a massive staff appeared out of nowhere to slice off the creature's neck. Kagome took advantage of the situation to free herself from the monster.

" Are you alright," a young monk said as he retrieved his staff while he wrapped his other arm around Kagome as if shielding her from the youkai.

" I'm fine," Kagome said, but when she was about to thank the monk, she felt his hand reach under her skirt to rub her panties.

Kagome yelled as she slapped the monk very hard on the face, making a giant mark on his fair skin. He rubbed his face and smiled as if nothing had happened.

" Sorry that I got a bit carried away there. My name is Miroku," he introduced.

" I'm Kagome."

" Kagome! What a nice name! By the way, can you please bear my child?" Miroku said.

" Are you sure you are a monk!" Kagome yelled as Miroku suddenly took a step towards the fainted Inuyasha and the remains of the snake demon.

" Another demon! I must kill him!" Miroku yelled as he tried to attack Inuyasha. Just when that was about to happen, the snake demon remains came together again!

" You fools think that I'll die so easily? Taste my venom!" it yelled, spitting out another flood of his toxins. Miroku couldn't see the venom, so he merely pushed Kagome behind him as he unsealed the wind tunnel in his hand, sucking up all that was in the way.

" What about the dog-boy?" Kagome yelled.

Miroku didn't hear her. He kept on sucking up the things that lay in front of him. Inuyasha was drawn nearer and nearer to the vacuum, but just when he was about to be sucked in, Miroku collapsed in pain.

" You've sucked up all my venom. Hahaha!" the snake demon laughed as Miroku gripping onto his hand in pain. Inuyasha, who had been unconscious for so long due to the venom he had contacted, started to stir awake by the noise of the battle around him.

" What is happening?" he asked weakly. Kagome was telling him to run once more, but he was too tired, too weary to move the slightest bit. He only managed to turn and catch sight of the snake demon descending quickly behind him, about to ingest him in one piece! He tried to raise his claws to slice the demon apart, but the more effort he put in, the wearier he seemed.

" Moving would just increase the effects of the venom! Prepare to die, hanyou!" the demon said as it lunged at Inuyasha's neck.

The fangs were nearer and nearer to killing the hanyou when a glow emitted from afar. It came closer and closer at an incredible rate, becoming a more and more intense blast of violet energy. When the fangs were millimeters away from Inuyasha's neck, the violet blast struck the snake demon, blasting his hangs apart. Inuyasha was stunned as he saw a Shikon shard fall to the ground along with an arrow that had apparently killed the demon. Kagome and Miroku were turning in the direction of where the arrow was shot, only to see the figure of a mysterious miko in the distance.

Motoko Aoyama: Okay, so that was that. Hope you liked it! Please be so kind to leave a review behind. Constructive criticism is welcome! I just don't want to read flames about Kikyou, or any flames for that matter. Anyway, coming up next: appearance of the mysterious miko! Join her on her journey to defeat the soul-sucking demon!

Extra Note: Ofuda is the paper charm that Miroku uses to seal demons. It has these weird calligraphy thingy written on its surface to purify evil.


	6. Hama no ya!

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading and reviewing my story (although there aren't a lot of you out there, I'm still glad that at least some people like my story, haha) Anyway, I'm back for another chapter of this fic so hopefully it would satisfy your reading needs!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha because otherwise I won't be so poor and pitiful (weeps)

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 5

Inuyasha clutched onto the Shikon shard, staring at the arrow in front of him. It was identical to the arrow that had sealed him to the goshinboku fifty years ago, identical to the arrow that would have killed him if he didn't suddenly tumble to the ground when its archer had called "die"

Yes, this arrow, like the ones that had nearly taken his life in the past, belonged to that master archer, that miko of the Shikon no Tama, Kikyou.

" Kikyou..." Inuyasha muttered, trying to summon what strength he had left to walk towards the figure in the distance. As he stumbled forward painfully, three arrows hit the ground in front of him, shocking him so much that he dropped the Shikon shard in his hand. To his amazement, the shard rose from the ground and flew towards the direction of the figure. It must be Kikyou. Only her, the very guardian of the jewel, would be able to summon the shard back to her.

Kagome and Miroku watched the figure disappear into the distance. When Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha, she could see that the three arrows in front of him glowed a bright purple, and when the glow dimmed, the invisible venom had vanished along with it.

" It had vanished," Kagome remarked.

" What?" Miroku asked.

" The venom. The snake venom that both Inuyasha and you didn't see! It just vanished with the glow on those arrows!" Kagome replied.

" Incredible. Not only did that person purify the venom with just three arrows, he or she also had the ability to summon the jewel shard!" Miroku said in awe.

" Why are you so surprised, monk? She is the miko who guarded the jewel in the first place!" Inuyasha yelled.

" What? But wasn't she killed by a hanyou fifty years ago?" Miroku asked, exposing that fact that he too had heard about the tale of the fallen miko.

" What are you saying? You mean that person who injured her fifty years ago was a hanyou?" Inuyasha inquired.

" That's what I've heard of. Someone once told me that the hanyou was the son of the dog youkai who had ruled the Western Lands," Miroku answered.

" It can't be...does everyone think that I was the one who had injured Kikyou? That was what she said that day she revived, right? But it's really not me! Why? Why did this happen?" Inuyasha questioned himself in his mind again and again as he slowly recovered from the poison. Still weak, he staggered to where the figure once was. He must tell her the truth! He must!

" If I hadn't betrayed her, maybe she hadn't betrayed me either. This must be some sort of mistake! Someone, something must be behind all this!" Inuyasha yelled as he disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

" Die!" Kagome screamed, causing Inuyasha to tumble into the ground with a loud thud.

" What was that for?" Inuyasha exclaimed in anger. Kagome was stunned and said nothing. What was that really for? Why would his departure mean anything to her?

" Well...urm...you did promise to bring me back to the wellwhen we find the first shard, right?" Kagome stuttered, knowing full well that she had not wanted Inuyasha to depart for a different reason, a different reason she would rather no mention.

" Kikyou took the shard so that doesn't count!" Inuyasha yelled.

" Oh yea? Die!"

**_Bang_**

" Stop that!"

" What if I don't want to?"

" You wench!"

" Die, Die, Die, Die, Die!"

**_Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang_**

As the commotion raged on, the injured monk Miroku could do nothing except stare at the two of them, sighing every three seconds at the situation he was stuck in.

" Hello? I'm kinda poisoned here..." Miroku muttered under his breath, only to be answered by more bangs from Inuyasha's body slams.

Meanwhile, the mysterious miko treaded in the woods towards where she sensed another shard of the Shikon no Tama. Opening her hands, she looked down at a clump of the Shikon jewel, which was tainted just a moment ago, but had been purified simply by her touch. She must hurry and finish the jewel as soon as possible so that no youkai could use its powers to harm her people, and so that she could set on another journey to find out the truth behind what had happened fifty years ago.

Kikyou came to a halt as she approached the foot of a barren hill. The soil was rocky and parched, the short trees and shrubs thin and withered. She could feel evil energy radiating from the inside of this hill, and knew that a youkai possessing a Shikon shard resided within its depths.

A chill swept over Kikyou. Looking upwards, she saw a swarm of white, snake-like youkai carrying blue objects in their claws. Several of them descended on her and she could feel them yanking at her soul.

" Shinidamachu!" Kikyou exclaimed as she shot several of them down.

Shinidamachu, the youkai that carries dead souls to another dimension, another world. It was said that certain witches manipulated them to collect souls for creating walking clay bodies, but never had she seen so many of them, so aggressive. It wasn't a witch she must face. Deep within the hill was a youkai, a youkai that devoured souls!

Motoko Aoyama: Haha! I just thought that the shinidamachu are just too cool to be excluded, but since Kikyou is not dead in this story, I must find a way for them to appear! So here it is, a chapter about Kikyou meeting these cool soul-collectors! In the next chapter, you'll know what happens to their encounter! Please continue to show some support by leaving a review behind, even if it is just a comment to say that you are reading. I would appreciate some support because they do give me an incentive to write more. Domo Arigatou for reading! See you soon!


	7. Shinidamachu

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your reviews! Please, please continue to read and review because I really need your support to continue writing! Anyway, I'll cut this short and proceed to the next chapter of this fanfic!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Inuyasha" since my name, apparently, is not Rumiko Takahashi...

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 6

" Damn you, stupid wench!" Inuyasha yelled as he huddled over the campfire. He still felt slightly weak from the venom, but his body was recovering fast and he could feel his former strength starting to return to his aching limbs.

" Are you begging to eat some dirt, you filthy puppy?" Kagome replied.

" I'm not scared of you!"

" Really?"

" Feh..."

" Die!"

Bang

The monk Miroku was also sitting by the campfire, roasting two fishes he had caught in a nearby stream. He too started to recover from the poison he had sucked in as he analyzed the situation in front of him. Why would this girl travel with a youkai? What are they looking for?

" The fish is ready, Kagome-sama," Miroku said, holding up one of the fishes. Kagome hurriedly came over to the monk, leaving the hanyou on the ground.

" Arigatou, Miroku," Kagome said, taking the fish.

" Where is mine?" Inuyasha popped up asking Miroku for food.

" Apparently, I do not even know your name. Besides, you are a youkai, you can go kill a dozen villagers for a snack," Miroku said, hoping to dig up some information about the dog-like creature in front of him.

" What do you think I am? A vampire? I don't eat no human you asshole!" Inuyasha shouted.

" Die!" Kagome stated as Inuyasha tumbled to the ground once more.

Angrily, Inuyasha left the camp to gather some berries and such to fill his stomach. Meanwhile, Kagome and Miroku talked as they munched on their fish.

" His name is Inuyasha, and this priestess called Kaede told me that he is a hanyou. By the way, does hanyou mean that he is half human and half demon?" Kagome asked.

" Yes, if he really is a hanyou, he does have a half human side, however, he seems exceptionally strong for one. By the way, why are you traveling with him?" Miroku asked.

" Well, that's a long story. Let's just say that I'm kind of lost here and I need him to guide me back to my home, but he wouldn't cooperate until I help him get a shard of that Shikon no Tama thing," Kagome answered.

" Shikon no Tama! You are after the Shikon no Tama too?" Miroku asked. By then, Inuyasha had returned, but he decided to hide in the woods to overhear their conversation.

" What? You mean you are after the Shikon no Tama as well? That's surprising...why is everyone after it?" Kagome asked.

" For its power. That jewel can strengthen the youkai powers of any demon, including the demon I'm after," Miroku replied.

" So you're after a demon that's after the jewel?" Kagome asked once more.

" Yes, his name is Naraku. Many years ago, he had taken the form of a beautiful woman and pierced my grandfather's hand, creating a wind tunnel that would be passed on through the generations. Each year, the wind tunnel would grow bigger and stronger, and eventually, it would consume us if we failed to kill Naraku before that time comes. That was what happened to my grandfather and my father, and so I must destroy Naraku to avenge their deaths, and to stop the hole from taking my life as well," Miroku answered.

" You mean that Naraku is after the jewel and that he could change forms?" Inuyasha asked as he blasted out of the trees towards the camp.

" What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha's mind was replaying what had happened fifty years ago. The Kikyou who had called him a hanyou and shot at him, the Kikyou who had betrayed him. Was it possible that that Kikyou was fake? That Kikyou was actually Naraku, the shape-shifting demon that had been after the Shikon no Tama?

" Damn that Naraku...I'm gonna rip his fucking ass up into a million pieces when I find him..." Inuyasha cursed.

As Inuyasha, Kagome and Miroku sat peacefully by the roaring fire, Kikyou was facing a dozen shinidamachu, all trying to yank out her soul. Unlike normal shinidamachu, these ones had red eyes that would capture your spirit if you looked into them, making Kikyou even harder to shot them down since she could not stare at their glowing eyes. Releasing another arrow that glowed bright purple and blasted several of them down, Kikyou tried to come up with a plan.

" They must be possessed by the demon with the Shikon shard. I must find that demon before it's too late," she thought, shooting another arrow that was aimed at the mountain before her. The arrow carried such force that a hole was blasted in the rocky soil, from which many souls floated up into the air, bathing the skies in a dim, bluish glow.

" Damn you for letting those souls escape, stupid miko," a loud voice roared from the depths of the hole. The ground shuddered, and boulders tumbled down the hill. As the hole widened, a bright red glow shot up and landed in front of Kikyou. When the light dimmed, she could see that it was a leech youkai, with a tainted Shikon shard in its heart.

" A leech demon who devours souls, how interesting," Kikyou smiled, shooting another dozen arrows at the demon. The shinidamachu descended quickly from the skies to intercept the arrows, only to be blown into pieces. However, the leech youkai just roared with laughter upon seeing their white flesh fall to the ground.

" I have over a million of them! By the time you kill them all, I would've sucked out and eaten up your soul!" the leech demon yelled, the Shikon shard glowing very, very red. Kikyou knew what it meant. The youkai would transform, and when that happens, the mere sight of it would cause her soul to be drawn out in a matter of seconds.

" Take this!" Kikyou yelled, shooting a bright arrow at the youkai. The shinidamachu dived down once more, but the power was too great. All the ones that had dove down were shattered. However, the most unexpected was another arrow that sped at the youkai before any of the shinidamachu could react, and as if it were a bolt of lightning, it struck the youkai's heart at a godly speed, blasting it apart to extract the polluted Shikon shard.

Kikyou bent over the shard and touched it; its blood red glow automatically gave away to a cool, pinkish light. The eyes of the shinidamachu lost its red glow as well, returning to their normal blue color.

With that, the miko walked off into the distance, only to be followed by many shinidamachu. Unlike before, they did not threaten to yank out her soul. All they did was follow, like the children who used to follow Kikyou around wherever she went.

" It would be impossible to kill them all. Since they mean no harm, I might as well let them follow me," Kikyou thought, moving towards her next destination.

Motoko Aoyama: That was a longer chapter than usual! Hope you liked it! Please continue to show your support by leaving a review behind, be it a comment or a criticism or just a note to say you are reading. No flames though, please and thank you, especially flame about Kikyou because she is cool! Anyway, I'll be back asap for more action and romance of "A Different Journey"! Next Chapter: Kagome goes back to her time, but something is telling her that Inuyasha and Miroku are not safe.


	8. Going Home

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your support! I've just written a Kikyou one-shot called "Endless Seasons" so if any of you are interested, please read and review that! That would be much appreciated. Enough advertisement, here is the next chapter of this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, so don't sue me!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 7

The bright sunlight of the Warring States Era shone on the queer group beside the dimming fire. Shivering in the morning cold was a young girl of the modern era, dressed in a typical school uniform. Beside her was a monk who was smiling in his sleep as his hand reached subconsciously towards the girl's skirt. Staring at the whole scene in annoyance was a silver haired hanyou who was scratching the ground in irritation. This pathetic group was too much for him! He just wanted to go after the Shikon no Tama and Kikyou!

" Get up you lazy ass! I want to go after that stupid shard!" Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs, causing Kagome and Miroku to stir awake.

" Did you just call me a lazy ass?" Kagome asked, infuriated.

" What if I did?" Inuyasha replied with an air of arrogance.

" Then die."

**Bang**

As Inuyasha struggled to get up from his body slam, Miroku stretched his limbs in the morning sun and did a bit more thinking about the two people in front of him. This Inuyasha hated Naraku too, but for what reason? Did he too try to search out the Shikon jewel in order to search out Naraku?

" What are you looking at, monk? Don't you want to find the Shikon no Tama too? If so, then stop staring and get your lazy butt off the ground!" Inuyasha yelled as he pulled Kagome along, hoping that she would soon announce the location of the Shikon shard.

" What are you doing, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked angrily, struggling to get out of his grasp.

" Bringing you along to find the shard."

" I don't want to go on your shard hunt! Well, not like I don't want to hang around with you, I mean I really hate being around you, well not really, but...I WANT TO GO HOME!" Kagome yelled, trying to clear her thoughts. She could not help blushing when she thought about how she rode on Inuyasha's back on the way to find the first Shikon shard, but why did she feel that way anyway? He was such a rough, stupid ass that no way could she have developed feelings for him, besides the fact that they had just got to know each other. Whether or not she liked him, she must go home before everyone started to worry about her. If that well did connect the modern era to the Sengoku Jidai, then she could always come back to make a visit, right?

" NO WAY AM I TAKING YOU HOME, BITCH!" Inuyasha yelled, his voice piercing into Kagome's mind to stop her train of thought.

" Really? Die, die, die, die, die!"

**Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang**

Inuyasha was beyond furious, but could no nothing except to angrily lead the way towards the well. Not only did he have to suffer a million "Die" commands, but also he had to lead Kagome to the well, which would mean that he would lose his shard-collector. Without her, how would he ever find that bastard Naraku, or Kikyou?

During mid-day, when the sun was shining nice and bright, making everyone hot and tired, Kagome and Miroku sat down on the forest ground to take a rest. Being a hanyou, Inuyasha was much stronger than the others and felt no need for such an unnecessary halt, which would further delay his quest for the sacred jewel.

" Come on! Stop pretending to be all tired and everything and just get up and start walking! If you make me wait one more second, I would change my mind and stop leading the way!" Inuyasha yelled.

" I wouldn't mind that, Inuyasha. After all, I am after the jewel and I'm just hanging around because that way, it would be easier to find Naraku," Miroku stated, continuing his rest as he closed his eyes.

" Don't say that, Miroku! I need to go home!" Kagome replied.

" Then get that lazy bum of yours off the fucking ground!" Inuyasha snarled.

" Die!"

**Bang**

" What was that for?" Inuyasha angrily asked.

" For being rude. Now, if you are in such a rush, you can just carry me on your back to the well, then I won't need to take a rest!" Kagome suggested.

" You'd wish, bitch."

" Die."

**Bang**

And so, the journey continued with Kagome clinging onto the back of a very annoyed Inuyasha. Along the way, Kagome couldn't help but pinch those cute, fluffy dogs ears of the hanyou, and in return he would growl and snarl and threaten to kill her. Miroku, on the other hand, was silent throughout the whole time, wishing that he could be Inuyasha, therefore able to feel Kagome's chest pressing on his back.

Time elapsed quickly as they finally reached the well in the forest that Inuyasha had claimed to be his own a long, long time ago. Beside the well was the goshinboku, the ancient goshinboku to which Inuyasha had been sealed for fifty years. As Miroku and Kagome said their farewells, Inuyasha went over to the tree and touched its bark at the place where Kikyou's arrow had pierced through, pinning him to the wood. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if what happened fifty years ago had never occurred. Would Kikyou and he really live happily ever after with the Shikon no Tama purified by his wish to become human?

" Hey Inuyasha, I'm gonna go now," Kagome said to the silent hanyou.

" Go wherever you want, not as if I care," Inuyasha replied.

" Well, let's hope that we meet each other again!" Kagome said cheerfully. The comment caused Inuyasha to turn around and eye the girl in front of him, the scent, the visage, it all reminded him so much of Kikyou, but they were so different, their alike souls reflecting an entirely different aura.

" Feh," was all Inuyasha said as he held his hand up without waving it, presumably his way of saying farewell. Kagome returned a smile before leaping into the well.

Just as Inuyasha and Miroku were about to continue their journey for the Shikon jewel, the skies suddenly grew dark and lightning struck amidst heavy rainfall. From the layers of storm clouds descended a godly figure bathed in a cool blue light. Immediately, Inuyasha recognized the elegant clothing, elaborate armor and the long, fluffy white fur that dangled down the shoulders of the newcomer. The person who despised him, the person who he despised, yet the two of them were related by nothing else but blood.

" What're you doing here, Sesshoumaru…"

Motoko Aoyama: Well, sorry about not having much Kikyou in this chapter. Hopefully you all still liked it! Thanks for reading. Please be so kind as to leave some comments behind, although no flames please and thank you. Well, that's all for today! Ja ne!


	9. Black Pearl

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading and supporting my fic! Please continue to do so because your support is my fuel to write! Anyway, I'll cut this short and proceed to the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, as if I can with my dumb mind and stupid drawing skills...

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 8

The bright light around Kagome started to vanish as she found herself at the bottom of the well in the Higurashi shrine. Looking up at the opening above her, she saw her grandpa and little brother talking about her.

" Are you sure she did disappear into the well?" Grandpa Higurashi asked the little kid beside him.

" Yes! Onee-chan went down the well to find Buyo and then she got sucked in!" Souta said in a fearful tone.

" Don't worry, let me dump this rice wine in and say a prayer and then she'll come out!" Grandpa Higurashi said as he dumped in the rice wine despite Kagome yelling for him to stop.

" What was that for?" Kagome asked angrily.

" Onee-chan!" Souta cried.

" I told you it would work!" Grandpa Higurashi said.

Kagome didn't know what to do except to sweatdrop.

After a bit of a struggle to get back up from the bottom of the well, Kagome took a bath to get rid of the overwhelming stench of rice wine. It was such a relief to be back home once again, being able to have access to warm water and electricity, and be able to eat proper food and sleep in a proper bed. During dinner, Kagome told her mother, grandpa, and Souta all about her adventures in the Sengoku Jidai, and much to her amazement, they believed every word of her story.

" Yea, that well has the ability to transcend time. It is said that it was constructed out of goshinboku wood many years ago by a man..." Grandpa Higurashi tried to tell another of his boring stories about everything's origins.

" Sorry, but I have to go catch up on my homework now, see ya later!" Kagome interrupted, taking the dishes to the kitchen to wash them before she retreated to her room in order to escape the torment of having to listen to her grandpa.

As the night dragged on, Kagome lay on her bed watching the stars shine in the distance. What would Inuyasha and Miroku be doing? Are they happy? Are they safe?

" I might as well get some sleep, then go visit them tomorrow since it is Saturday anyway," Kagome thought, drifting off to sleep.

As Kagome lay peacefully in bed, Inuyasha and Miroku were facing off with the silver-haired youkai in front of them. The youkai was smiling wickedly at the hanyou as if he was an inferior being. Inuyasha was full of frustration as he glared at the newcomer.

" So, you've been pinned to a tree for fifty years by a mere miko? How amusing," the youkai spoke.

" None of your fucking business, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled.

" How dare you be so rude to Lord Sesshoumaru?" a toad youkai shouted as he whacked Inuyasha's foot with the end of a two-headed staff. The heads on the staff suddenly started moving and the eyes on the heads flicked open.

" Jaken, it's reacting right? For fifty years the staff has indicated that father's tomb is in this forest, but recently it has been moved. What a coincidence, Inuyasha, you too have been sealed to a tree for fifty years until you've been revived recently," Sesshoumaru said grimly.

" Cut the crap, dog-shit, and fight me!" Inuyasha hollered as he leapt forward to slice his half-brother with his infamous "Sankontessou".

" Still as amateurish as ever," Sesshoumaru replied as he dodged to his side at lightning speed. Recognizing that Inuyasha was in danger, Miroku pulled off the prayer beads concealing his hand and opened the hidden hole.

" Kazaana!" he yelled as the hole started to suck up everything in its way. Sesshoumaru was drawn forward, and Jaken nearly reaching the opening of the hole, but at the last minute his master gave a sly smile.

" As if that useless hole can defeat me, Sesshoumaru. Taste my dokkaso!" the taiyoukai said, extending his claw outwards. Green poison started to escaped his fingertips to be sucked in by Miroku's kazaana, and almost instantly, Miroku collapsed in pain, being affected by the venom.

" You are fighting me, not him, baka!" Inuyasha shouted, lashing out the hijinkessou at his older half-brother. Sesshoumaru easily dodged, and then a bright whip emitted from his fingertips, which lashed itself at Inuyasha. It took Inuyasha every bit of his strength to evade the attacks, which only got quicker and quicker with time.

" You are such a shame to our family," Sesshoumaru commented, and with a quick flick of his finger, his whip lashed out at Inuyasha and struck him in the abdomen, going right through the fire rat cloak piercing a hole in the hanyou's body.

" Way to go, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken cheered. His master stepped on the fallen Inuyasha, lifting his hand to deliver the final blow.

Just as his hand was about to reach to Inuyasha's life, he saw a strange glint in Inuyasha's right eye. It was not a mere coincidence that Inuyasha had been sealed for fifty years and that the tomb had stayed in one place for the same amount of time. It must be that the tomb was inside Inuyasha, inside his right eye.

Meanwhile, Kagome suddenly awoke from her sleep after having a nightmare about Inuyasha and Miroku dying. She was so worried that they would be killed by evil youkai that were known to roam the Sengoku Jidai, especially now that they were wandering aimlessly for the Shikon jewel shards. She might as well check up on them and at least tell them where the next shard could be found.

Just as Kagome headed over to the well and got ready to leap down into the Sengoku Jidai once more, Sesshoumaru reached over Inuyasha's right eye, and producing a few sparks of electric energy, the black part of his eye started to emerge. Inuyasha was yelling in pain as tears ran forth from his eyes in hopes of helping them recover from the damage Sesshoumaru was doing. Finally, a black pearl came out of Inuyasha's pupils and fell to the ground.

" It's time to pay a visit to our dead father, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru whispered, gesturing Jaken to place the staff atop the pearl.

Kazaana: Wind Tunnel

Dokkaso: Sesshoumaru's poison claws

Baka: I think everyone knows this one, it means idiot

Taiyoukai: Very powerful demon, Demon Lord

Motoko Aoyama: Hopefully you liked it. Again, sorry for the lack of Kikyou in the last few chapters, she'll come out soon. Anyway, please review! I'm on my knees begging you all again (sigh, being a sucky fanfic writer is quite a sad profession) but don't flame me if you hated it! Well, that's all for now! Next Chapter: Tetsusaiga's first appearance!


	10. Tetsusaiga

Motoko Aoyama: Well, I'm back! Sorry, I don't have a lot of time today so I'll just cut this short. Thanks for reading and reviewing though, I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, character or anime or manga.

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 9

A giant whole appeared above the pearl and Sesshoumaru smiled contentedly as he leapt in. His servant, toad youkai Jaken, leapt in after him while the injured Inuyasha reluctantly got up and followed. Miroku was in too much pain to move, but suddenly, a light glowed in the well beside them and out came a familiar figure, Kagome.

" Miroku! What's the matter?" Kagome asked concernedly, knowing that indeed something had gone wrong in the Sengoku Jidai.

" I was poisoned by an inu taiyoukai called Sesshoumaru, but I'll be fine after a bit of rest. Inuyasha is the one in danger! Go into that hole to find him before it is too late!" Miroku said, gesturing Kagome to enter the closing hole above the glowing black pearl.

Kagome nodded and leapt into the hole before it closed. All was darkness as she got sucked deeper and deeper into the endless vacuum, until a light finally shone in and a giant youkai skeleton was revealed.

All of a sudden, Kagome felt a slight itch on her neck. Slapping the area slightly, she felt something crush flat on her hand. Looking down, she could see a puny flea demon on her palms!

" Don't kill me! I'm Myouga the flea, the guardian of the Inutaisho's tomb and Master Inuyasha's loyal advisor! I just wanted a ride to find him!" the flea demon yelled.

" I can't stand fleas!" Kagome replied, throwing Myouga off her hand. Myouga extended his wings just in time to hang in mid-air and cling onto a strange, flying bird skeleton. He gestured Kagome to ride on the skeleton too.

" Where are we going? Will this...err...bird thing lead us to Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

" Certainly. Hang on tight as we enter the tomb of the great Demon Lord of the West!" Myouga announced as the bird skeleton took a sharp descent into the mouth of the giant dog skeleton. Down the dead remains of Inuyasha's father they went, until they were dropped at the opening to a great chamber.

In the chamber were Sesshoumaru, Jaken and Inuyasha, all facing a battered katana stuck on a stone in one side of the chamber.

" This is father's priced blade, the Tetsusaiga, the sword that can take a 100 lives in one sweep," Sesshoumaru explained as he stepped forward to touch the hilt of the blade. Jaken and Inuyasha were both stunned to see electric energy whirl around the blade and Sesshoumaru's claws, and no matter how hard he pulled, the sword didn't bulge the slightest bit.

" This is interesting. Go give it a try, my "dear" half brother," Sesshoumaru said in a sarcastic tone.

Inuyasha stumbled forward despite his injuries and touched the hilt. No energy repulsed him, but just like Sesshoumaru, he couldn't pull out the blade no matter how hard he tried.

" Damn it! Who gives about a fucking piece of metal junk?" Inuyasha angrily hollered after failing to extract the blade.

" So our father didn't intend either of us to take this blade. If that is the case, I must settle some things right here and now," Sesshoumaru spoke, lashing out his light whip at Inuyasha once more. Being caught off guard and slowed by his injuries, Inuyasha intercepted the whip right at the chest and fell down with a thud on the ground. Kagome was stunned and she started to descend into the chamber, hoping to help Inuyasha.

" It's dangerous down there, girl!" Myouga exclaimed. He himself had no intention of risking his life.

Sesshoumaru's whip came forth once more, Inuyasha rolling to the side to hear it crash onto the ground below him, breaking the skulls that covered the entire surface of the chamber floor. Inuyasha kept rolling as the whip crashed down on him one time after another. He struggled to get up and leapt to the side to evade another attack. Sesshoumaru's wicked smile had returned to his face and the whip was as fast as ever, taking down Inuyasha's strength bit by bit as it forced Inuyasha to evade with all his energy.

" You're so slow," Sesshoumaru commented as he lashed out his whip once more, so quick that Inuyasha didn't dodge in time so it sliced him at his shoulders, creating a deep gash that caused a great amount of blood to drip down his fire rat cloak.

Inuyasha was on the ground once more, hurt, desperate to save himself. His body pulsed, his white hairs swayed gently. Warm blood rushed quickly in his arteries and veins, drenching his soul in a deep rage. Sesshoumaru smelled a change of Inuyasha's blood. The hairs parted for a short moment, revealing Inuyasha's now blood-red eyes and purple stripes that scarred his fair countenance.

" So you want to challenge my youkai powers? Very well, your challenge is granted!" Sesshoumaru yelled, in a second his eyes turned red too, his violet marks becoming thicker and jagged, his nose elongating and skull changing. Suddenly, a strong wind swirled around the great taiyoukai as he transformed further into a giant white dog, with green venom dripping out of his fangs to corrode the skulls underneath him.

Inuyasha could not think straight anymore as his youkai blood coursed through his body, taking control of his mind. All he knew was to kill, to feel blood in his claws, taste it on his fangs. He quickly slashed at the great dog youkai in front of him, but his enemy was able to move to the side and nearly land a paw on him. Inuyasha leapt out of the way quickly and slashed at Sesshoumaru once more, only to miss again. However, he was satisfied. He was fresh as ever, and strong, much stronger than his weak hanyou transformation.

" You're so clumsy like this, Sesshoumaru. Suits you well!" Inuyasha muttered in an almost evil voice as he slashed at his half brother again, but Sesshoumaru dodged and sent a swarm of his green venom at Inuyasha. Kagome, watching from above, was stunned to see Inuyasha in his scary transformation. His voice, his very being, emitted a strong sense of wickedness and hatred, so unlike the cheerful hanyou she had begun to know as her friend. She could hear Myouga speaking to her from above, telling her what to do.

" Get that sword to Master Inuyasha, quick!" Myouga said. Kagome nodded as she tumbled the rest of the way into the chamber, now cloudy with the suffocating gas from the venom Sesshoumaru had dripped on the ground. Kagome tried her best to ignore the gas, which caused her trachea to burn uncomfortably, and finally reached the sword perched atop the stone. With a hard pull, the sword escaped its rocky sheath, tumbling into Kagome's grasp.

" Catch, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, throwing the sword into mid-air where Inuyasha had dodged to in order to evade Sesshoumaru's venom. Even in his demon transformation, Inuyasha still conserved part of his soul and could hear Kagome's voice; therefore he reached out to the catch the Tetsusaiga. His red eyes dimmed and turned golden once more, the stripes on his face disappearing too. Slashing the battered sword at Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha landed beside Kagome and took her hand in an instant.

Motoko Aoyama: Again, I'm very sorry about the lack of Kikyou and other characters in the recent chapters. They'll be coming very soon, so please be patient! Thanks for reading and please leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, other comments, or just a word saying you've read this. Domo Arigatou!


	11. True Strength

Motoko Aoyama: Sorry for the late update and the lack of Kikyou in the last chapter. Gomenasai! Well, here I am with the next chapter of "A Different Journey" and Kikyou will finally make her appearance again! Yay! Well, what are you waiting for? Please R&R!

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Inuyasha! I can't tell him to sankontessou my teachers!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 10

" We have to get out of here," Inuyasha said as he dragged Kagome with him while he leapt out of the chamber. They escaped to the outside of the dog skeleton and made their way to where the shoulder of the skeleton would be. Sesshoumaru didn't waste any time as he merely blasted a hole in the top of the chamber, leaping out in front of Inuyasha in an instant.

" I have the Tetsusaiga so you can't beat me, ass!" Inuyasha hollered as he slashed the battered sword at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru merely growled and brought his paws to Inuyasha, knocking the blade right out of his grasp. Sesshoumaru was about to attack Inuyasha again, but Inuyasha leapt quickly and slashed at his side with the Sankontessou.

" Are you sure that stupid sword is a treasure, Sesshoumaru? It is quite useless actually," Inuyasha said as he tried to slash at his older brother once more after he had dodged his first attack.

Sesshoumaru had lost his patience. Stamping one of his paws down on the ground, the entire dog skeleton shuddered and debris started to fall upon Inuyasha. As he dodged to evade the falling objects, Sesshoumaru grabbed him with one paw and threw him towards Kagome. Injured by the forceful crush, Inuyasha landed in front of the girl from the modern times, trying to get back up again.

" I have to save myself, I have to save Kikyou too..." Inuyasha muttered.

" Kikyou, Kikyou, Kikyou! My name is not Kikyou! It's Kagome, Ka-go-me you stupid dog-boy!" Kagome yelled.

Embarrassed with calling the wrong name, Inuyasha made up an excuse, saying, "Who said I want to save you, but whatever, I don't like dying girls too much anyway."

With that, the Tetsusaiga started to pulse. Inuyasha snatched it by the hilt and its pulse grew stronger, its blade shaking vigorously. As Sesshoumaru bounded towards Inuyasha once more, he raised the Tetsusaiga, the blade transforming into a giant fang with jyaki wiping around it. Slashing forward, the Tesusaiga struck Sesshoumaru's fangs. Sesshoumaru struggled to throw Inuyasha off as he lifted his head, but Inuyasha clung onto the Tetsusaiga. Kicking his brother's jaws, Inuyasha freed the Tetsusaiga that he used to hack at Sesshoumaru's front leg. Sesshoumaru roared in tremendous pain when Inuyasha landed in front of him. He tried to stamp Inuyasha to the ground, but Inuyasha merely sliced Sesshoumaru's leg apart from the bottom to the top with the phantom blade, and when he reached the place where he had made his first slash, Inuyasha brought the sword on the wound once again, clearly severing Sesshoumaru's front leg and then throwing him right off the giant dog skeleton.

" Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken yelled, jumping onto a bird skeleton to pursuit his fallen master.

" A job well done, Master Inuyasha!" Myouga said as he flew onto Inuyasha and took a deep sip of his blood. Inuyasha slapped the annoying flea with a single hand and gazed suspiciously upon it.

" Where did you come from, coward? You always run for your life during battle and then come back when everything is fine again," Inuyasha yelled.

" I was off arranging for transportation!" Myouga replied. Kagome had already gotten onto a flying bird skeleton.

" Don't lie, Myouga. These things are here all along!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha slapped Myouga once more as he too leapt atop the skeleton. Their transport brought them to the dark hole once again, where it disappeared. Inuyasha, Kagome and Myouga walked into the endless darkness until the light of Sengoku Jidai shone upon them once more. As they walked into the clearing in Inuyasha's forest, the hole vanished into the black pearl. Inuyasha picked up the pearl and placed it into his right eye. After a few blinks, he could see perfectly once again.

" That stupid old man, putting his grave in my eye. If not for him, I won't have to endure all this pain of having my pupil drawn right out of me," Inuyasha cursed.

" How can you be so disrespectful towards your father! He gave you the best of his weapons, the great Tetsusaiga, and the first thing you said about him wasn't a single word of thanks, but instead a curse!" Myouga said.

" Just shut it, flea-shit. I don't have all day!" Inuyasha said. Dragging up the injured Miroku, and the confused Kagome, he set forth for the next Shikon shard!

Of course, another person is after the Shikon jewel as well. The wandering miko, along with her faithful shinidamachu, have treaded in the forest for a long while. Waving the soul catchers away with one hand, Kikyou descended a valley into a small village perched at its foot. It was a very strange village indeed, as most of the houses had their doors closed, and the few villagers on the streets were hurrying to their destinations quickly. Kikyou managed to catch up to one of the villagers, and as she tapped the man's shoulder gently with her hand, the man turned abruptly with a scream.

" What's wrong?" Kikyou asked.

" Oh my, don't scare me like that miko-sama! I thought it was a youkai!" the man yelled.

" Youkai? What type of youkai?" Kikyou questioned again.

" Those aphid youkai. They have been destroying all the crops and ripping people alive in great swarms! Oh no, here they come again!" the man said, trying to run away as the skies darkened with a great swarm of aphids. Kikyou grabbed the man and didn't let go of him.

" Stay here or else you'll be killed," Kikyou warned. Placing her hands together in a prayer gesture, Kikyou developed a barrier around her that started to glow blue in the darkness of the surroundings. Mounds of aphids started to descend upon them, and the man could do nothing but to close his eyes in terror.

Motoko Aoyama: Well, hope you liked it! Please be so kind as to leave a review for a poor fanfic writer like me, be it constructive criticism, or a word of saying you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated. Anyway, next chapter: Kikyou fights the aphid youkai, and more about Naraku is revealed!


	12. Shikigami

Motoko Aoyama: Well, here comes the chapter with Kikyou battling the troublesome aphids. I got this review that was laughing at Kikyou fight aphids, but what I meant is aphid youkai! You see, Sesshoumaru is a dog youkai, and dogs aren't normally his size! Aphid youkai would be...more like Naraku's insects, and the ones with the Shikon shards would be like the moth youkai Inuyasha fought in the series (the one that caused him to turn into his demon form). With that said, this is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 11

" I'm going to die..." the man muttered silently as he dared not open his eyes. All he could hear were tearing sounds, so loud and disgusting that he felt the urge to vomit. The kind miko must have been ripped to pieces by the youkai, and now they would be after him next. In seconds he too would vanish from the surface of this Earth.

However, the attack of the aphids never came. He gradually opened his eyes to see that the miko was still in front of him with her hands clasped in prayer, sustaining the blue energy shield around them. As the aphids came forth to attack, they struck the barrier and were ripped into a million pieces by the impact. The first pack of aphid youkai were all destroyed and the second pack was due to come in a matter of seconds, but that gave Kikyou enough time to pick up her bow and draw a single arrow into which she placed her spiritual energy instead.

" Be gone, youkai," Kikyou whispered, and closing her eyes, the arrow glowed a bright purple. Just when the first of that pack of youkai were about to come, the arrow was released, the glow widening and glimmering brighter, the strong spiritual energy blasting all of the aphid youkai apart in an instant. The skies cleared and the sun was shining brightly again. All the villagers came out of their shelters to gaze upon their stunned neighbour standing next to a young miko.

" Are they all gone?"

" Are everyone safe?"

The villagers asked such questions one by one, and all they could do was to stare at the miko for their answers. Kikyou merely smiled and nodded in response.

" They will not come today, but I must be rid of their nest and their leader in order to guarantee your safety," Kikyou said.

" But what would happen if they attack us while you are away searching for their nest?" the villagers asked concernedly.

Kikyou didn't answer as she asked an old man to lend her a piece of paper, some ink, and a brush. With her dagger, she cut two humanoid shapes out of the paper, and dipping the brush in the ink, she wrote "Kochou" on one of the paper, and "Asuka" on the other. Placing her hands in prayer again, the two pieces of paper started to float mystically in the air and settle on the dirt ground, glowing brightly as wind whipped around them. The villagers stared wide-eyed as the dust settled to the ground with the dying wind. In front of them stood two child in the place of the two humanoid paper shapes, one dressed in a bluish kimono with her hair tied to both sides with two fluffy looking hair ties, the other was dressed in a yellow kimono with her hair tied back in the tarashigami style.

" Kikyou-sama," the two girls said in unison. The villagers blinked at the speaking girls, unable to believe that they were made simply out of paper.

" Don't be afraid of them. They are my shikigami, the one in yellow is called Kochou, the one in blue is called Asuka," Kikyou introduced as the girls nodded. Some of the villagers bent down to stare into the eyes of the child-like shikigami, but they neither ran nor hid, they just stood there gazing back at the villagers respectfully.

" During my absence, Asuka would stay here to tend to the barrier I'll set up against the youkai. Kochou and I will seek out the nest of the youkai and destroy them. Until then, no one is to exit the barrier no matter what, otherwise he or she will be exposed to danger and no one will be able to safe him or her," Kikyou warned in a serious tone. The villagers nodded. Kikyou closed her eyes and a giant blue aura started to wrap around the entire town, hiding and protecting the area with a spiritual barrier. Asuka quickly placed her hands in prayer to continue putting up the barrier.

Kikyou got onto a horse that she had borrowed from a villager, and along with the now air-borne Kochou, they fled off into the north where Kikyou could feel the presence, ever so slightly but definitely there, the presence of a Shikon jewel shard. When they were out of sight of the villagers, the shinidamachu descent down towards Kikyou and followed her, ready to serve their masters as they raced towards the domains of the aphid youkai.

Meanwhile, a loud thud and some high pitched screaming emitted from Kaede's hut. Apparently, Inuyasha had been forcing Kagome to go look for more shards, but the high school girl must return to her own time to do some studying for her final exams. Frustrated, Inuyasha tried to stop Kagome from going to the well, only to be told to "die" a dozen times.

" Hmph, that should teach you!" Kagome announced, heading off to the well.

" You wench! Stop right there! You can't get away!" Inuyasha yelled, struggling to stand back up.

" Die!"

**Bang**

Miroku and Kaede sweatdropped as Kagome disappeared out of view, leaving Inuyasha to scream and yell and go crazy.

" Stupid wench, I'll go after her!" Inuyasha yelled.

" I don't think that will be a good idea, Inuyasha. Kagome-sama will just say the magic word and you'll end up on the ground once more," Miroku answered.

" Who do you think you are, telling me to do this and that and all that crap!" Inuyasha screamed, trying to whack Miroku.

" Die!" Miroku yelled. Inuyasha paused, only to see that he was still in his original place.

" Hahahahahahaha, baka bouzu! It doesn't work on you idiot! Hahahahahahaha!" Inuyasha laughed uncontrollably as Miroku and Kaede sweatdropped once more.

" Well, since Kagome won't be coming back for a few days, why don't you two stay here for now?" Kaede offered.

" I don't want to stay with an old hag like you!" Inuyasha cried, only to be whacked by Miroku.

" Your hospitality would be much appreciated, Kaede-sama," Miroku answered, happy to be able to stay indoors for a couple of days.

As Miroku and Kaede talked by the fire, Inuyasha turned away from them, lying lazily on the ground as he scratched the ground in boredom. Miroku told Kaede about his past, and the wind tunnel in his hand. When he got to the part about Naraku, Inuyasha suddenly turned around to join the conversation.

" It must be that Naraku bastard who injured Kikyou fifty years ago! I swear it wasn't me!" Inuyasha yelled.

" Eh? I thought you didn't want to talk to us!" Miroku answered.

" Shut it! All I want to say is that that Naraku must have deceived us, both Kikyou and me!" Inuyasha complained.

" And why should he do that? I don't recall Kikyou onee-sama knowing a youkai called Naraku," Kaede said.

" Maybe he was after the jewel! That bouzu did say that Naraku is after the jewel now, maybe he was after the jewel fifty years ago as well!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

" If that is his main objective, he would have left with the jewel after injuring Kikyou onee-sama. Why would he return the jewel to the shrine, trick you, then watch you steal the jewel and be sealed by onee-sama?" Kaede pointed.

" It seems like the person who did this, Naraku or whoever else, wanted Kikyou-sama and Inuyasha to hate each other," Miroku added.

" Miroku is right. Inuyasha, if you want to prove that Naraku was the one who deceived Kikyou onee-sama and you, tell us what really happened between you and onee-sama fifty years ago," Kaede ended.

Motoko Aoyama: Oh my, I really have to go now! Thanks for reading! Hope you had fun reading it! Please leave a review behind!


	13. Our Past

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your reviews! I guess I don't have enough reviews to do those thank list things yet, but I want to tell you that your support is really appreciated! Enough of my rant, here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Who would think I own "Inuyasha"? I'm not Kikyou, or Kagome, or Inuyasha's mother, or even his kick-ass brother who is after his head...so of course I don't own that adorable hanyou and the anime named after him!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 12

Kikyou stood before the vast barrens, all the vegetation and wild life ripped apart by the swarms of aphids, destroying everything in its way. Kochou landed on the ground beside Kikyou as the shinidamachu swirled above them in irritation. They too sensed the rush of evil energy sweeping towards them. Yes, more are coming, more of the aphid youkai.

" Is that...?" Kochou started, only to be interrupted by Kikyou in mid-sentence.

" The aphids. They are coming, thousands of them, along with at least half a dozen Shikon shards," Kikyou replied.

The buzzes of the aphid wings flapping in the air became more pronounced by each second. They were quick, and abundant, ready to devour its preys for miles away. Kikyou fitted a dozen arrows on the bow, closing her eyes to send the purification energy down the wooden shafts to the metal tips. The aphids appeared in the horizon, swallowing up everything as they rushed towards the miko. The shinidamachu were alarmed, Kochou looking concerned at her master. Just as the aphids were about to reach her, her eyes flicked open and in an instant, the dozen of arrows were cleanly released, each glowing bright violet and blasting a hundred aphids apart in one strike. As the debris from the aphid carcass fell to the ground, the violet light dimming, Kikyou could see half a dozen aphids still swarming in the air. Each one possessed a single jewel shard in its wings, allowing them to move at lightning speed to dodge the previous arrows. Kikyou drew another dozen of arrows, Kochou placing her hands in prayer to construct a barrier around her master and the shinidamachu, protecting them from the aphids. As the aphids rushed forward in hopes of breaking the barrier, Kikyou released the arrows, only to see them flying into the distance as the aphids dodged. They were too fast, and there was no way for her to be able to shoot them down.

Suddenly, Kikyou felt warmth on her neck. Reaching into her haori she felt the Shikon shards on her necklace radiating a slight bit of energy. Yes, the Shikon shards. With the Shikon shards, she would be able to move faster than the youkai.

With a wave of her hand, a shinidamachu descended quickly on her shoulder. Breaking off a shard of the Shikon jewel, Kikyou placed it on the shinidamachu's forehead, causing it to transform. From bluish green, its skin turned pinkish purple like the jewel itself. The entire length of the shinidamachu started to glow in this new color as it transformed further, elongating and thickening until it became a giant youkai that matched the aphids in front of them. Kikyou climbed onto the shinidamachu, urging it to fly out of the barrier into the sky. As they collided with the barrier Kochou had constructed, the barrier wrapped around them, protecting them from the aphids. With the Shikon shard, the shinidamachu was able to pursuit the aphids easily, catching up with them as they raced in the clouds. Kikyou drew an arrow from her quiver. Stringing it onto her bow, she took her aim.

" This will put an end to you," Kikyou whispered.

In a different village, Inuyasha was squatting on the ground beside Kaede and Miroku, fiddling with the kotodama beads on his necklace. He was trying to start his story, but he felt embarrassed to tell the tale.

" Well...erm...you see, I met Kikyou and we became friends and that's that," Inuyasha said.

" That's not helping the single bit, Inuyasha. We want the details! Exactly what happened between you and the miko of the Shikon no Tama?" Miroku asked once more, becoming frustrated.

" Come on! It's kind of private okay! You just shut up or else I'll slice you open with the Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha yelled.

" Please, Inuyasha. Tell us what really happened. I do recall that onee-sama and you were not merely friends, even to my young eyes at that time," Kaede questioned.

" If you know everything then stop asking me! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...whatever, I guess I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh!" Inuyasha growled.

Kaede and Miroku nodded.

" Well, it began fifty years ago..."

Kaede and Miroku nodded once more.

" I'm a hanyou, so I needed the power of the Shikon Jewel to become a full-fledged youkai. I started coming after the jewel, but before I could even catch sight of it, Kikyou would have pinned me to a tree with her arrows. Every time she would draw the last arrow, aimed at my heart, and I would gulp uncontrollably, fearing that the arrow would blast me apart like the other arrows that Kikyou used to kill countless youkai, but the shot never came. Time after time she would lower her bow, placing the arrow in her quiver, and warn me not to come after the jewel again because she didn't want to waste any more arrows on me. I couldn't understand it! Why would she hesitate on killing me when she had slain so many other youkai without a single thought? What made me different in her eyes? I started following her around until one day, she finally told me to come out of the bushes and talk to her," Inuyasha narrated, pausing slightly.

" And then what happened?" Miroku asked.

" She told me that she couldn't kill me because we are alike. I'm a hanyou and so I don't belong in the world of humans or youkai. As for her, she is a miko, unable to live the life of a normal human as she must hide her emotions in order to preserve her strength. I just snorted, unable to believe that the so-called 'great miko of the Shikon no Tama' would be complaining to a hanyou like me, but when she turned and stared at me, those sad eyes piercing into my heart, I couldn't ignore her again. Since then, Kikyou's name rang in my head constantly, and I soon found out that all I could think of was her..." Inuyasha spoke, and then paused again.

" So, you fell in love with onee-sama," Kaede asked.

" I guess you can say that. I followed her around everywhere, to exterminate youkai, to watch over some children and such. One day, many youkai invaded the village when Kikyou was out, and I got caught up in trying to destroy them. After a long wait, Kikyou finally came back to fight, but her arrows lost their former strength. It was so strange! She didn't sense the arrival of so many youkai, and she was unable to kill them as quickly as she used to be. Her aim was less accurate too, as she blasted apart a youkai whose remains struck Kaede's eye. She seemed distracted, and it seemed to have weakened her powers. The next day, she and I met at the fields during sunset. She asked me a question, a question she had asked me before. She asked if I wanted to stop fighting. She told me that if I use the Shikon jewel to become a human, then the jewel would disappear, having been purified, and then she and I would be able to live peacefully together. I accepted without hesitation. I wanted to be with Kikyou, forever, even if that meant for me to give up my youkai blood. I knew that Kikyou felt the same, and that she was willing to give up her miko life for me. We were different from the rest of the world, and here was a chance for this fact to change, for us to be able to life together, with everyone, just a simple life that she and I had yearned for. That was how I wished our future would become, how Kikyou wished our future would become, but..." Inuyasha said, unable to find a way to end the story.

" But someone interfered, causing Kikyou-sama to seal you to a tree before passing out from the serious injuries inflicted on her. I understand now. That someone must have been jealous of the love between Kikyou-sama and you, thus that someone used this plan to deceive both of you, so that Kikyou-sama would kill you with her own hands," Miroku explained.

" I'm not sure who this someone may be, but I do have a clue that may prove to be quite interesting," Kaede answered.

" What is it?" Inuyasha asked in an anxious tone.

" A thief by the name of Onigumo. He lusted for my sister, Kikyou," Kaede whispered in the night.

Motoko Aoyama: Okay, hope you liked it. Please feel free to give me any suggestions or constructive criticism to this fic, but I don't want to hear about how you hate Kikyou or whatever, because apparently I don't care. You can also leave a comment behind telling me you have read this, because that would really please me too! Thanks a lot for reading! Have fun!


	14. Secret of Onigumo

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your review! To make things easier, I'll just cut out the crap and let you proceed to the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful anime, manga, and character "Inuyasha" which is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and whoever else...

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 13

The shinidamachu chased after the aphid youkai, their distance growing shorter and shorter. Kikyou's fingers held the arrow firmly to the bow, now curved like a half moon due to the tension from the drawn bowstring. The aphid turned around, slashing at Kikyou, but the barrier blasted it away. With one quick release, the arrow soared through the air, striking the youkai cleanly on its left wing.

" It's useless. Evil cannot penetrate through this barrier," Kikyou said, drawing another arrow at two other approaching youkai. The arrow flew to the distance between them, the purification energy amplifying to blow them into bits.

The last three aphid youkai flew away into the distance, trying to escape with the Shikon shards they had picked up from their fallen comrades. Kikyou rode on the giant shinidamachu, chasing after them as Kochou and the other shinidamachu followed close behind. Buzzing of many wings grew to a crescendo, signally the approach of the nest. This was what Kikyou had sought for, the nest of the aphids, to destroy the last of them.

All of the surroundings were a blur as the shinidamachu traveled into the unknown distance. The skies grew darker with the swarms of aphids coming from the horizon. Kikyou fitted another dozen of arrows onto her bow, and as the aphids approached, she released all of them at once, blasting apart hundreds in an instant. To her horror, there were still many of them, all following the three aphids with the Shikon shards.

" The ones that possess the Shikon shards must be their leader," Kikyou thought as she drew another arrow, aiming it at one of the aphids with the Shikon jewel. As the sacred arrow soared towards its target, the aphid dodged to the side quickly, letting the arrow travel into the distance.

" It had taken another Shikon shard from the fallen aphids, that's why it's so fast," Kikyou thought. She reached into her haori to take out another Shikon shard, but looking at the shinidamachu she was riding on, she hesitated. The shinidamachu was no longer the purplish color it was when the Shikon shard was first inserted. It had grown redder, fiercer. Kikyou reached down and touched the shard, causing the shinidamachu to glow pink-purple once more. She knew that the shinidamachu's youkai powers were surfacing with the use of the sacred jewel, and so if another shard was inserted, the youkai powers may cause the shinidamachu to go out of control.

" If that's so, take this!" Kikyou yelled, holding an arrow between her fingers as she twisted the bowstring. As the shinidamachu accelerated to try and keep up with the aphid, Kikyou notched the arrow on the twisted bowstring, releasing it as the distance minimized. The arrow soared forward, but when the aphid dodged, the arrow swerved, striking its tail feather to bring it down. The twisted bowstring had curved the course of the arrow, enabling it to strike the aphid as it dodged.

The other two aphids carrying the Shikon shards descent onto the fallen aphid in hopes of obtaining the jewel shard in its carcass, but as Kikyou had predicted their move, she easily shot one down with her arrow.

Just when Kikyou's second arrow was about to strike the only aphid that carried the Shikon shards, the aphid grabbed the last shard and dodged away from the arrow's course. Kikyou could see clearly the glow of the shards, three in each wing of the now gigantic aphid. With a loud roar, the aphid summoned the other aphids to come towards it, allowing them to fly into its mouth, merging with it to become an even greater aphid. All the aphids joined up with the giant, combining their powers with that of the six Shikon shards. The giant aphid now towered above Kikyou, its single wing a dozen times longer than the shinidamachu Kikyou was riding on.

" That just makes you a bigger target, youkai," Kikyou pointed, drawing another arrow from her quiver. With a quick release, the arrow flew towards the aphid, but the aphid was so fast that the arrow passed by harmlessly. Kikyou released another arrow with the twisted bowstring, but when it struck the beast, it was deflected off its body. Just then, the miko realized that the aphid's body had hardened due to the shards' powers!

" This is not as easy as I had presumed it to be," Kikyou thought. Reaching backwards, she felt the presence of a single arrow in her quiver, a single arrow, no more, no less...

Elsewhere in Feudal Japan, Inuyasha and Miroku were walking alongside Kaede as they swerved through the meadows towards a tavern up ahead. The grass was high, reaching up to their chests, and so they waded slowly, trying to brush the thick vegetation to the side as they advanced. Finally, the grass gave way to rocky ground as they came towards the cave they had been looking for.

Down the rocky soil they went, descending into the darkness of the cave. The air smelt of burned matter, causing Inuyasha's sensitive nose to twitch uncomfortably. Moss had begun to conquer what used to be barren ground, but towards the back of the cave, a rectangular piece of ground remained undisturbed, completely bare and clean.

" This was where Onigumo lay. The day after onee-sama got injured, I ventured to the cave, only to see that everything had been burnt down. I presume that Onigumo had died then," Kaede concluded.

" Probably not, because this place reeks of a smell of evil," Inuyasha said as he bent down by the ground, sniffing the scent emitting from the soil.

" But didn't Kaede-sama say that Onigumo was a wild thief. Evil as he may, he is still a human, am I right?" Miroku asked.

Kaede nodded.

" Naraku is a demon. He couldn't possibly have any connection to Onigumo," Miroku pointed.

" That's what I don't understand. Besides Onigumo, I couldn't possibly think of anyone who would be jealous of onee-sama and Inuyasha," Kaede said, looking at Inuyasha suspiciously.

" I said I didn't hurt Kikyou! Do you need me to say it once more?" Inuyasha yelled angrily.

" No one said it was you. We're just wondering about what really happened," Miroku said.

" Right. Either way, I'm going to find out for myself whether or not that Naraku is the one who hurt Kikyou, and if he's really the one, I'm gonna rip open his fucking ass!" Inuyasha cried.

Motoko Aoyama: Well...another chapter! Yay! Hope you liked it! Once again, if you are reading, please leave a review just to tell me that you are. After all, the low support this story is receiving is kind of distressing me, so please give me some incentive to continue writing to the best of my ability. However, I don't appreciate flames. I don't like any anime character, author, or fanfiction to be bashed under any circumstances. I don't particularly like Kagome, but I don't bash her right? You can hate Kikyou all you want, that is your right, but it is also my right to like her! Got that! Sigh...I'm done complaining! One last thing, I've stared a Sess/Kik story called "Fukai Mori" which you can also check out if you are interested! See you all later!


	15. Stolen Tetsusaiga

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks so much for your support! Please keep it going, because your every comment means a lot to me! Let me thank each of you individually!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Thanks for your reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying it!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Yay! You like Kikyou too! Thanks for your review! Hope you'll continue to enjoy this story!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Yup! I've updated! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks for your support! I'll check out your fics later too! I understand how it can get quite frustrating writing a story with nobody reviewing...sigh

**Coolgirl – **Glad you hate flames too! Thanks for your support!

**Atlantis-rob – **Thanks so much for reading all my stories! Hope you'll enjoy them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, because if I did, I would be the richest woman in Japan.

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 14

Kagome was carrying her big, yellow backpack when she came to the well in the little shrine behind her house. Although she didn't get a thing in her final exams, and likely failed them all, she did feel relieved that finally she had gotten rid of her schoolwork since summer holidays were about to start. With the extra time that she had, she could go back to the Sengoku Jidai more often to help her new friends there! Leaping into the well, Kagome traveled back five hundred years in time and arrived in the lush green forest beside the village.

When she came back to the Sengoku Jidai, she found out that she had no idea where Inuyasha and Miroku went! All she could do was to go back to the hut where the elderly miko resided, hoping that she would pick up a clue or two about the two's whereabouts.

" Kaede-sama, do you know where Inuyasha went?" Kagome asked as she came to the hut in which the miko resided.

" After visiting Onigumo's cave, Inuyasha hurriedly dragged the young monk with him to search for a Shikon shard," Kaede answered.

" So which direction did he head towards?" Kagome asked.

" Towards the mountains. He said he felt the presence of a strong youkai who probably possessed a shard," Kaede replied.

Kagome nodded and thanked the miko as she headed off towards the mountain. As she approached, she indeed felt the presence of Shikon shards becoming stronger, and following the link, she finally came up to Inuyasha, who was on the ground with a big stone on his foot.

" What happened, Inuyasha? Why are you putting a stone on your foot?" Kagome asked as she came up to the extremely frustrated Inuyasha.

" Do you think I want to put a stone on my foot! Look at that damn charm stuck on its surface! It's keeping the stone on my toe!" Inuyasha yelled.

" Gomen ne, I didn't notice," Kagome apologized as she peeled off the charm, enabling Inuyasha to throw off the annoying boulder.

" Who put that charm on you, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

" This chibi fox youkai called Shippou! He told me to give him the Tetsusaiga, and when I refused, he dumped this charm on me, stole my sword, and ran away!" Inuyasha yelled.

" I see, so where's Miroku? We should all go after the youkai to take your sword back!" Kagome exclaimed.

" You wanna count on that bouzu? He's off somewhere in the nearby village, reading women's palms and asking them to bear his children!" Inuyasha yelled angrily.

" Baka bouzu..." Kagome cursed, walking off towards the village with an annoyed Inuyasha behind her.

At the village, Miroku was happily flirting with the girls as Kagome and Inuyasha arrived, completely angry with the houshi. He stared at his friends, sweatdropping as Kagome landed a heavy knock on his head, creating a giant lump.

After eating at the village, the three of them started to chase after the fox youkai who had taken Inuyasha's priced blade. Inuyasha sniffed the ground here and there, tracing the scent to the youkai until they came towards a clearing where a puny fox youkai was battling a giant, bald-headed demon wearing a fox pelt.

" Haha! You've come back! Now that I slay you, I can combine your pelt with your father's to make a perfect sash!" the bald-headed demon said, reaching forward to grab the fox.

The fox was frightened and leapt away, drawing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath. To his surprise, the blade was battered and old, but extremely heavy, causing him to topple over due to the weight. Inuyasha quickly came forth to punish the little fox, punching him in the face as he retrieved his Tetsusaiga. Just as he was about to draw the blade to kill the fox, Kagome called to him.

" Inuyasha, the bald-headed demon is the one with the Shikon jewel! It's on his forehead!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha reluctantly turned around to eye the fat, dumb-looking demon while he drew the Tetsusaiga.

" Look closely, chibi, this is how you use the Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha said to the little fox demon, transforming the blade into its giant form with his strong jyaki. Inuyasha ran towards the fat youkai who was apparently stunned, and when he reached him, Inuyasha brought the blade down. In fright, the youkai dodged just in time, creating a gray cloud underneath his feet to raise him to the sky. Inuyasha tried to strike him down, but the youkai's mouth opened and out came a ball of lightning that nearly struck Inuyasha. The youkai was too far up for Inuyasha to strike, and in frustration, he slammed the blade on the ground.

" Don't worry, Inuyasha. Use these!" Kagome said, pulling out a bow and a quiver of arrows, which she stole from her grandfather, from within her yellow pack. Inuyasha looked at the bow and arrows and Kagome, instantly thinking about how Kikyou had used to fight alongside him with this sort of weapon. Yes, if Kagome was able to free him from the tree, to use the same "Die Inuyasha" voice command, and be able to sense Shikon shards, she might be a good archer too, just as Kikyou was.

" You shoot it! Kikyou is a master archer!" Inuyasha yelled, slinging Kagome onto his back as he ran off towards where the fat youkai was, leaving Miroku and the fox youkai Shippou to chase after them.

" I said I'm not Kikyou! My name is Kagome, Ka-go-me you got that?" Kagome yelled.

Shippou looked on at this strange band, and all he had in mind was the hope that they could help him avenge his father's death at the hands of the evil thunder brothers.

Meanwhile, Kikyou touched the single arrow she had as she gazed upon the giant aphid youkai in front of her, all gray in the new metallic body it possessed. With a flap of its wings, strong wind blew in Kikyou's direction, throwing her off her shinidamachu. All she managed to do was to grab the Shikon shard from the shinidamachu before she fell.

" How can I defeat it with just one arrow?" Kikyou wondered as the aphid slashed a claw at Kikyou. The claw stopped at it hit the barrier, but it continued to press until it was snapped open the barrier, Kikyou only dodging quick enough to save her life as the claw cut open the sleeve of her haori, making a slight gash on Kikyou's arm. Dodging once more, Kikyou saw the claw crash down on her, and in the distance she could see Kochou struggling to build another barrier around her master. Kochou and Asuka were mere shikigami of Kikyou, their powers came from their master. In other words, Kikyou's powers were occupied not only with fighting the aphid youkai, but to keep up the barrier around the village that Asuka was looking after. How would Kochou have enough power to sustain a strong barrier then?

" You're slow," the aphid spoke, its voice echoing down the endless expanse of barren land. Kikyou was horrified as she watched the aphid's wing grew closer and closer, slamming at her body as it threw her into mid-air, flying backwards.

" Now say your last prayers, miko!" the aphid hollered, lowering its claws onto the fallen priestess.

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Please continue to support this story by being so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, or even just a comment saying that you have read this! Your comments mean a lot to me! They give me an incentive to write more. However, I do not appreciate flames, so if you are going to tell me how much you hate Kikyou or this pairing, all I have to say is you shouldn't even me reading this! Thanks again! See ya soon!


	16. Last Arrow

Motoko Aoyama: Oh my! I'm so flattered to see the numerous reviews from last chapter! Thanks for showing your support, people! Please continue to be so kind as to leave your comments behind! I'll try my best to improve! Now let me thank each of you individually.

**Shinto Princess Kikyo – **Thanks for liking my story!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks for your review. Sorry, I was too busy to leave you my review so after updating, I'll be sure to check out your stories!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Thanks for your review! More Thunder Brother stuff coming up in the near future! Hope you'll like it!

**Kikyou-sama – **Thanks for your review! More Kikyou coming up because she's my favourite character! Yay!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Well, you'll have to see. Either way, Inuyasha will meet up with Kikyou later in this story. Please be patient! Thanks for reading!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for your review! Don't worry, I won't kill off Kikyou, because she's too cool to die in my story!

**Coolgirl – **Kikyou and Inuyasha will meet up, I would say shortly after the Thunder Brothers and the introduction of the taijiya, which would come in the next few chapters. This story is Kik/Inu all the way, so please be patient, it'll come soon! Thanks for your review!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Naraku is making his appearance very soon, but I'm still having a bit of trouble trying to fit him smoothly into the story, so I would say in a few chapters, he will start making a havoc in Inu-World! Thanks for reading!

**Alouete – **As I have said to coolgirl, Kikyou and Inuyasha will meet shortly, so please be patient! Thanks a lot for your review! I really appreciate it!

**Kikyo Inuyasha freak! – **Thanks for reading and reviewing! I don't get why people hate Kikyou so much either, kind of bizarre if you ask me!

Disclaimer: So...anyways...I don't own Inuyasha, that's that.

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 15

The claw was about to crush Kikyou when she intercepted it with her arm. The impact caused a cracking sound to be heard, and Kikyou knew the bone in her arm was instantly broken. All she could do was to ignore the pain and send her spiritual powers down the arm, shocking her enemy so that it retreated for a moment.

" The only way to defeat it is to use the Shikon jewel shards, but how?" Kikyou wondered. Suddenly, she figured out a plan and inserted several shards onto the last arrow she had, and despite the pain of her arm, she managed to draw the arrow.

" What a stupid wench, trying to defeat me by shooting a stupid arrow with a broken arm, muahahahahaha!" the aphid laughed.

Kikyou ignored him as she released the arrow, which glowed brightly in the sun. The aphid retreated at lightning speed, letting the arrow sink into the ground in front of it, but just when it was about to come forth once more to attack Kikyou, the arrow's light brightened, and in a great eruption of violet radiance, the purification energy blasted the youkai into a million pieces.

" Kikyou-sama!" Kochou yelled, rushing over to Kikyou's side as she toppled on the ground in exhaustion. Kikyou waved for the shinidamachu to go collect the fallen jewel shards, and when she felt the shards in her hands, she spoke to Kochou.

" I have exerted all my strength in this battle and won't be able to fight for a while. Go get the taijiya to exterminate the rest of the aphid youkai gathered around the village," Kikyou spoke. Kochou nodded, and turning into a bright yellow light, it flew off into the distance with several shinidamachu.

Meanwhile, Kagome was riding on Inuyasha's back, clutching her bow tightly as she tried her hardest to draw the arrow. Only then did she find out that the shooting an arrow wasn't as effortless as it seemed.

" Oh darn it. I should've brought a microwave or something to chuck at the youkai instead..." Kagome thought as she felt Inuyasha accelerating, closing in the distance between them and the youkai so that the youkai was almost right underneath them.

" Shoot the damn arrow, wench! I can't keep up with this much longer!" Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome nodded as she remembered how the miko had shot down the dragon youkai the first day she came to the Sengoku Jidai. Yes, that miko's name is Kikyou, and they all said that Kikyou and she have alike souls. This be true or not, Kagome wished she could have the strength of Kikyou, even if it was just for the moment.

" Please, Kikyou-san, lend me your strength!" Kagome cried as she released the arrow, letting it soar upwards towards the youkai. Just when it was about to hit the youkai, the arrow lost all its momentum and fell sharply downwards, almost striking Inuyasha's head, causing him to stop running abruptly.

" Where were you aiming, bitch?" Inuyasha asked in frustration.

" Gomenasai," Kagome pleaded as a sweatdrop developed on the back of her head.

At that time, Miroku and the small fox youkai caught up with the two. Seeing them stop their chase and start arguing caused the two to tumble to the ground in disappointment.

" How about I suck him up with the kazaana?" Miroku suggested. Inuyasha whacked his head unmercifully, creating a big bump on the houshi's head.

" Are you really that dumb? You'll suck up the jewel shard if you suck up the youkai!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

" Oh yes...forgive my stupidity, it wasn't intentional..." Miroku begged.

" Is there such a thing as intending to be stupid?" the small fox youkai asked.

Inuyasha turned to the voice of the small fox and stared angrily into its eyes, causing it to shiver uncontrollably.

" I don't think you are my friend right, baka chibi?" Inuyasha asked in a cold tone, causing the fox to cry.

" Don't be so mean to him! I'm sure it was all some sort of mistake," Kagome said.

" What the hell are you doing, Kagome? You are supposed to be on my side, not flirting with some little low-classed fox demon like him!" Inuyasha yelled. Kagome was furious. How could he say that she was flirting with a kid?

" Inuyasha..." Kagome said softly, her hair concealing most of her countenance.

" What?" Inuyasha asked, eyes widening with curiosity.

" DIE!" Kagome yelled as Inuyasha tumbled to the ground with a huge thud.

The gang gathered by a campfire that Miroku had set up, the small fox youkai Shippou telling the others about his story. His father and he were peaceful fox demons who lived in the mountains. The thunder brothers were known for their bossy behaviors, but other than picking on Shippou and his father from time to time, nothing serious happened to them. It was until one day when the thunder brothers had slain some youkai possessing the jewel shards that they had gained a lot of power, and started to kill off anyone who opposed them. Shippou and his father had managed to stay out of trouble, but the thunder brothers weren't satisfied unless they moved out of their home. However, clans of wolf youkai infested the mountains in the north, and the plains below crowded with millions of aphids. Shippou's father explained to the thunder brothers that they had no where to go, but the thunder brothers laughed it off, and with a slash of the lightning sword, Shippou's father was slain on the spot. Shippou managed to run away and so he came up with a plan to steal a sword from travelers in order to avenge his father's death. He had waited on the road for a long time, not wishing to steal the swords of injured soldiers, or those of men protecting their families. It was until he saw the arrogant hanyou Inuyasha walking down the road that he decided to make his move, and using his fox magic, he stole the Tetsusaiga.

" Such a sad story...don't worry, from now on you can come with us, and together we'll avenge your father's death and gather all the Shikon shards so that nothing like this will happen to other humans and demons alike," Kagome said.

" That's right, Shippou. You're no longer alone!" Miroku added, hoping to impress Kagome.

" What do you mean he is staying here? That fucking brat stole my sword! You can't just forgive him like that and go help him avenge his father's death!" Inuyasha complained.

" You seem to be complaining a lot today, Inuyasha," Kagome stated.

" Feh, got a problem with that?" Inuyasha answered with an air of arrogance.

" Die."

**Bang**

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this chapter! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, questions, or just a comment saying you've read this. Anything other than flames, especially flames regarding Kikyou because I'm really fed up with them, are appreciated! Next Chapter: Enter the Taijiya siblings, and last battle with aphid youkai!


	17. Enter: Taijiya

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks you so, so much for your support! I really, really appreciate it! Let me shout out to you all for your generous attention!

**Shinto Priestess Kikyou – **Thanks for your review! I think Kikyou and Inuyasha will meet up at around chapter 22 or so, so please be patient with me!

**Kikyou-sama – **Thanks for your review!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Thank you for liking the last chapter! Hope you'll like the future installations of this story!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks for supporting both this story and "Fukai Mori!" It is highly appreciated! I think your writing is really good too! Keep it up!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Yea, I was evil in the last chapter! Gomen ne! Oh well, glad you liked it! Please continue to support this story!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Well, I think Inuyasha and Kikyou will meet each other in chapter 22 or so, so we still have a few chapters to go. Please be patient with me. Oh, and a big thank you for reviewing my story! It is highly appreciated!

**Littlematchgirl – **Thank you for putting this in your favourite section! (tears of gratitude streaming down my face) Hope you'll like the future chapters of this story!

**Alouete – **It's ok for being impatient! I really want Inuyasha and Kikyou to meet each other too, so I can totally understand, but forgive me, some things still has to get resolved before they can meet in this story! Well, thank you a lot for reviewing! Please continue to enjoy my story!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Yay! Our favourite taijiya is here! All hail to Sango-sama! Sorry, I got a little caught up there! I'm really excited too, so please continue to enjoy my future chapters about Sango!

**Atlantis-rob – **Thanks for supporting all my stories! Your support is really, really, greatly appreciated! My appreciation cannot be expressed by mere words! Oh well, hope you get my point! A big thank you to you!

Disclaimer: Well, I don't own Inuyasha! The story is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and in my point of view, the character is owned by Kikyou!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 16

Kochou arrived at the taijiya village with Kikyou's shinidamachu. The men and women were all very busy, cutting up demon remains, polishing weapons, training, or otherwise treading down the roads in the village to make sure that it was safe from the attack of demons. One such guard of the village came to Kochou and looked at her curiously.

" I can't sense an evil aura around you, but why are you accompanied by those youkai and why are you here?" the man asked.

" Those youkai are my master's faithful shinidamachu, they mean no harm. My name is Kochou and I'm a shikigami of Miko Kikyou. I came here to ask for your assistance in exterminating some demon in a nearby village as my master is injured and so couldn't finish them off," Kochou answered emotionlessly.

" I see. I'll tell the boss. Please wait here," the man said before he turned and ran towards the hut up ahead. In a short moment, the man returned with a tall taijiya accompanied by a teenage girl and a young boy. By the looks of it, it seemed that the tall taijiya was the boss that the man had mentioned earlier, and the other two were the daughter and son of the boss.

" Are you Kochou, the shikigami of Miko Kikyou?" the tall taijiya asked. Kochou nodded.

" I see. Could you tell us more about the youkai that need to be exterminated?" the taijiya asked.

" They are aphid youkai, not very powerful, but they are very numerous. They were led by six youkai with jewel shards, but Kikyou-sama have destroyed them and purified the fragments. There is just a pack gathered around the village, but another shikigami, Asuka, has temporarily kept a barrier against them," Kochou answered.

The taijiya was surprised by the answer, but managed to keep his calm composure. Many people, many miko may be called Kikyou, but only one had the power to destroy six youkai carrying the Shikon jewel, and purify the tainted shards too. She is that miko who everyone assumed to be dead fifty years ago, Kikyou the protector of the Shikon no Tama.

" Thank you, Kochou-sama. Please lead the way to the village," the tall taijiya spoke, bidding Kochou and the shinidamachu to lead them to where the last of the aphid youkai were located.

At the village, Asuka was struggling to keep up the barrier since Kikyou's spiritual energy was declining due to her exhaustion. As the barrier flickered, the youkai pressed deeper towards the crowd, and several villagers were so scared that they ran to the other end of the barrier, hoping to get out before the youkai broke through. Right when they went out of the barrier, the aphids flew quickly towards them and ripped them apart in an instant. One frightened man tried to run back into the barrier, but a youkai grabbed his back, ready to sink its teeth into his neck.

Just when the villager thought that he was doomed, a giant boomerang slashed off the youkai behind him amidst a great battle cry that yelled out "hiraikotsu." Turning, the man saw many armed men and women carrying weapons made of youkai remains, and quickly, the demon around him were all slain.

" Get back into the barrier!" one of armed men said to the villager, pushing him within the flickering barrier once more. The armed man continued the battle alongside a teenage girl and a young boy, protecting each other as they had slain more youkai than all the other taijiya.

" Leave this to me, Sango. You and Kohaku follow Kochou to rescue the miko!" the man yelled, slashing another youkai with his sword. The teenage girl nodded, and together with the boy they followed the shikigami to the barrens outside the village.

The barrens were red with youkai blood, and their remains, bones and wings, were spread far and wide on the ground. An overwhelming stench hung in the air as the wind picked up the scent of the rotting carcass, causing the young boy to cover his nose with his sleeve.

" Take this, Kohaku," the teenage girl said as she offered the boy a mask.

" Arigatou, ane-ue. But what about you?" the boy asked.

" It's alright. The stench is not poisonous, but it may be unbearable to you now. After a few more battles you would get used to it too," the girl said.

The two continued to walk on the road of carnage, and finally they saw some more shinidamachu hovering over a figure in white hakui and red hakama. As they neared, they could see the figure belonged to a woman about the age of the taijiya girl herself, wearing her long black locks in a tarashigami style.

" Are you, Kikyou-sama?" Sango asked as she came towards the miko.

" Yes. You must be one of the taijiya," the miko said.

" My name is Sango, and this is my younger brother Kohaku. Other taijiya of our clan are exterminating the youkai currently, and we are sent here to take you back to the village," Sango explained.

" Arigatou," Kikyou answered as Sango came forth, only to see that one of the miko's arms was in a very strange position.

" The bone is broken during the battle with the youkai," Kikyou pointed as she saw Sango's gaze rest on her arm. Sango snapped out of it and reached forward to tend to Kikyou's arm. Rolling Kikyou's hakui sleeve up, she saw the arm bone underneath the skin, nearly protruding out due to the horrible fracture. Sango couldn't help but gulp as she saw the wound, so terrible that she could almost feel the pain herself. However, when she gazed at Kikyou's countenance again, she could hardly find a bit of fear or pain in her expression.

" You must've moved your arm after it got fractured, otherwise, it couldn't be that bad," Sango said.

" I managed to shoot the youkai dead after the fracture, but it seems that it have moved the bone a bit more out of position. I was hoping it would somehow move back in place, but I guess I was wrong," Kikyou said in joking tone, smiling despite the pain.

" That was a hopeful thought, miko-sama. Kohaku, go get me some twigs," Sango ordered as the boy walked over to the withered trees to gather some wood.

Sango touched Kikyou's arm, feeling the fractured bone. The bone had to be put in place again, otherwise she wouldn't be able to shoot another arrow ever.

" This will hurt a lot, but I must put the bone in place again," Sango said.

" It's okay. Please begin, Sango-san," Kikyou whispered, feeling Sango's grasp on her arm tighten.

Motoko Aoyama: Well, I should get back to writing another chapter of this story so that I can update next week. Thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, questions, or a simple comment saying you've read this. Anything except for flames is appreciated! Once again, thank you so much for your support! Next Chapter: Hiten kidnaps Kagome! What will Inuyasha and the others do? What about Kikyou's broken arm? Will she be able to shoot another arrow ever again?


	18. Kagome, Kidnapped!

Motoko Aoyama: Thank you so much for supporting this story! Your support is greatly appreciated and it gives me the motivation to write more! Please continue to read and review because I would be really happy to hear from you all again! Now, let me thank you all individually!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura** – Thanks for reading and reviewing my stories again! I actually don't really like how Sango and Kikyou are so...indifferent to each other in the actual show so I decided to make them be friends in my fic, yay! I'm so glad you liked it!

**Alouete – **I'm so glad you liked the idea of Sango and Kikyou meeting each other! I like the two of them too, and as said above, I don't really like their interaction in the actual show. By the way, I love Kagura too! I think I'll put her in this fic later on, so hope you'll like that too!

**Kikyou-sama – **Yup! Sango and Kikyou will be friends because I like both of them, well, I like Kikyou more but that is beside the point. Thanks for reading, and don't worry about Kikyou, she'll manage (winks).

**Zero-Nightmare – **Thanks for your review. Actually, I think maybe it'll be at chapter 23, because in chapter 22 Kikyou will be on her way to meeting Inuyasha, hehe I'm so sorry for giving you the wrong chapter number! Hope you'll bear reading one more chapter without Inu/Kik being together.

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for liking the humour in this fic! By the way, why did you run 4 miles? Is it something for school? I'm just curious because when I used to take Physical Education class, I had to do 4.5 kilometer runs and I really, really hated that! Haha, I think I'm going off topic. Thanks for your support and hope you continue to enjoy this story!

**AddictedtoInuyashaFics – **Thanks for liking my story! Kikyou and Sango will become friends, but as to whether or not they will be as close as Kagome and Sango in the show, I'm not sure because I didn't write those parts yet, hehe!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Really? You preferred my introduction of the characters to Rumiko's? I'm so flattered! Thank you so, so much!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Yeah, I want to get to the Inu/Kik stuff right now too! Too bad my writing progress is not as fast as I wish it to be (let's blame that all on stupid exams and stuff in the way). Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope to hear from you again!

Disclaimer: Opps...I think my AN is a bit too long, so I'll cut this short and say I don't own Inuyasha (stares at the above sentence and finds out that it is actually not very short)

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 17

" Inuyasha seems like he's in a big rush..." Shippou commented as they ascended the mountain in search of the thunder brothers.

" Well, he's always in a big rush, but lately he did become very strange. Houshi-sama, does this have to do with something that happened while I was away?" Kagome asked.

" Aye, he has been like this ever since we visited Onigumo's cave back at Kaede-sama's village," Miroku answered.

" Onigumo? Who is Onigumo?" Kagome asked.

" Well, you see, Inuyasha was in love with Kikyou, the miko who guarded the Shikon no Tama. During that time, Kikyou sheltered a seriously burnt bandit called Onigumo, who later lusted for her. Inuyasha thinks that somehow this Onigumo was related to Naraku, and that this ultimately resulted in the trap that Inuyasha and Kikyou fell into fifty years ago," Miroku explained.

" So that's why he's in such a rush. He must think that Kikyou or Naraku might be after the same shard," Kagome muttered in an almost sad manner. Miroku looked at Kagome curiously as Shippou scratched his head in hopes of understanding everything that was going on. All of a sudden, Miroku's mental light bulb flicked on!

" Kagome-sama looks a bit...jealous! Have you fallen in love with Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

Kagome knocked the houshi's head forcefully and then walked on angrily.

" Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...he has a girlfriend already! What am I doing hanging around in Sengoku Jidai, helping a stupid hanyou like him? I'm so frustrated with myself!" Kagome thought, getting angrier with each step she took.

All of a sudden, Kagome sensed a jewel shard directly above her. Down came a youkai riding on two fire-lit wheels, a lightning bolt-shaped spear in his hand. With a quick slash, a bolt of lightning blasted on the ground in front of Kagome, sending dust all over the place. When the dust was gone, Kagome found herself riding on a cloud with the youkai. Miroku was stunned, but the youkai had vanished into the clouds out of sight. All he heard was the youkai's voice booming in the distance.

" If you want this girl back, tell that half-dog to come up to the temple on the mountain and hand over that funny sword of his!" the youkai said.

" Damn it, we lost him!" Miroku cursed. Shippou was curled behind him in fear.

" That...that youkai...that youkai was Hiten of the thunder brothers!" Shipou gasped as Miroku looked sternly at him.

Meanwhile, Sango was gripping Kikyou's injured arm tightly, feeling the fractured bone underneath the horribly brownish red skin, stained with the awful color due to the bleeding underneath. In her mind, Sango drew an imaginary line down Kikyou's arm where the bone was supposed to be originally aligned to, and with twist of her wrist, she pushed the bone fragments towards the line while Kikyou gasped slightly.

Sango looked up to the miko's countenance, still calm as ever as if nothing had happened.

" That wasn't as bad as I thought," Kikyou said in a low voice, clearly too pained to speak louder.

" Alright, then I'll do this one more time to bring the bone completely back to its original position," Sango spoke.

Kikyou nodded, closing her eyes in hopes not to see what was happening to her injured arm. It seemed to her that the pain was more bearable if she didn't look at the wound. All of a sudden, Sango gave another push on her arm, the bone fragments pushing into place once more, but only after the fragments clashed into each other, sending another pang of pain down Kikyou's spine. Sango was amazed to see that Kikyou had not let out a sound as she did this, since from her experience, tending to compound fractures usually resulted in terrible screaming on the patient's part. The only evidence of Kikyou's suffering was the site of the injury, and a drop of sweat that had trickled down from her forehead.

" Are you okay?" Sango asked.

" Actually, I think that it was a bit more painful than breaking the arm in the first place," Kikyou answered with a smile. Sango couldn't help but smile back, all the time wondering how could Kikyou joke despite all this.

" Here are some twigs, ane-ue," Kohaku said as he returned with several strong twigs that he had gathered.

" Arigatou, Kohaku," Sango thanked, taking over the twigs to place them on Kikyou's arm.

" Just wait a second, Sango-san," Kikyou said, taking out a Shikon shard with her good hand. Sango and Kohaku stared at the fragment. It was the first time they had seen a piece of the Shikon no Tama, let alone see what powers it could behold. Kikyou stuck the fragment onto her injured arm, the brown color of blood vanishing underneath the skin.

" Sugoi..." Kohaku whispered as Sango and he looked on in complete astonishment.

" The Shikon jewel has the power to increase the power of both evil and good. Although youkai could use its power to cause destruction, it could also be used for healing," Kikyou explained.

" I see," Sango replied, placing the twigs on Kikyou's arm to secure the broken bone, then used a long piece of cloth to wrap around the whole thing to keep it in place. At that moment, a giant neko youkai descended from the skies and stood before the taijiya siblings.

" Please take Kikyou-sama back to the village, Kirara," Sango said to the neko youkai as it bent down to let Kikyou climb onto its back. Sango and Kohaku got on afterwards and together they rode towards the village.

The barrier Asuka had tended had vanished, but the corpses of many fallen aphids replaced the arc it had formerly occupied. Villagers were all gathered in a small crowd, comforting each other and taking the time to thank their rescuers, the armed taijiya who had accompanied Sango and Kohaku. Knowing that the small village would have trouble removing the youkai corpses, and rebuilding the parts of the town that had been terrorized by the youkai, the taijiya leader ordered for his daughter and son and a small group of his men to stay at the village and help with the rebuilding of their home. To this offer, the villagers thanked them greatly once again, gratefully bowing to them as the other taijiya took their leave.

Sango, Kohaku, kitten-sized Kirara, and several villagers gathered in a small cottage where Kikyou lay resting. Sango diverted her attention to her little brother, who looked up to her gaze. She smiled.

" You did a great job, Kohaku."

Kohaku blushed at the compliment. It was the first time he had saved a person, and helped save a village, and most of all, it felt really, really good.

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, questions, or just a comment saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames, especially those regarding Kikyou, are appreciated. Next Chpater: Kagome tricks Manten into bringing her out of the dwelling of the Thunder Brothers! Can she make her escape? Will Inuyasha and the others arrive in time to save her? Also, a mysterious man, Lord Kagewaki, makes his appearance...and he seem to be really interested in a certain miko...


	19. Castle of Mystery

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your support! Sorry, but I have a bit more ranting to do today because once again, my fic has received another flame. I have warned that this is Inu/Kik in the summary and in almost every AN I wrote, so if you don't like this pairing, or any of the characters involved, don't read my story! Those flamers always say that they "are entitled to their own opinions," but you know what, I am entitled to my own opinions as well and I should have every right to write a story for all those Inu/Kik fans out there without your pathetic bashing! I dislike Kagome (I don't hate her, it's just that she sometimes annoy me to no end) but you don't see me bashing her in my fic or flaming Kagome fics, right? So just quit it! I'm losing my patience with you! I have put up a WTF section on my profile in response to the flame, so to those who are annoyed by flames as well, I would be more than glad if you go check it out. Anyway, please allow me to thank those who have been supportive and let's hope that something like this doesn't happen again.

**Nothing Much – **Thanks for liking my story. I don't understand why people hate her so much either, but to say the truth, I don't really care what they think about her, as long as they don't go flaming people who write in the Kikyou fandom. By the way, thanks for adding this story to your favorites list!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Actually, no, it's not Kouga. He'll appear later in this story. Thanks for your encouragement! I should face those exams without fear!

**Kikyou-sama – **Thanks for your review!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Yea, Sango does change a lot after her village gets destroyed, I mean who wouldn't if something that depressing happened? Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you continue to enjoy this story!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Really? I used to have to do rundays for school too! I wonder if you go to the same school as I do! (lol, not very likely, but who knows?) Anyway, thanks for reading!

**ShintoPrincessKikyo – **Thanks for your review!

**Inuyasha fan – **Thanks for reading!

**Snowyiji – **Thanks for your review!

Disclaimer: I'll cut this short by saying I don't own Inuyasha, that's all.

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 18

Inuyasha leapt from one rocky pillar to another as he weaved his way up the mountain towards the temple of the Thunder Brothers, with Miroku and Shippou trailing behind. It took every ounce of strength in the young monk to try and keep up with the hanyou, let alone the little kitsune who had to cling onto Miroku so as to not get left behind. When Miroku finally reached Inuyasha, he pulled the hanyou back and refused to let go.

" If you don't stop, I'll suck you up with the kazaana, because I don't think I can catch up with you anymore," Miroku said, hoping that he would be able to catch his breath.

" What are you thinking, baka bouzu? You two can just stay here if you can't keep up, and I'll go get my shard-collector back myself!" Inuyasha yelled.

" Well, that's the problem. You only treat Kagome-sama as a shard-collector, so who knows whether or not you would really try your hardest to save her?" Miroku argued.

Inuyasha didn't say anything. He didn't understand why he would be so concerned about Kagome either, but when he thought about the Thunder Brothers spraying Kagome's blood in the air, he would remember how Kikyou's blood had flooded the ground fifty years ago, a very disturbing thought that he couldn't bear.

As they took a brief rest, Shippou spoke up.

" What do you think they'll do to Kagome?" Shippou asked.

" Hmm...Kagome is a beauty...so..." Miroku muttered, his mind full of dirty thoughts.

" Don't even worry about it. That wench is not a beauty at all!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

" I wonder who would he consider a beauty then..." Shippou said.

" He has a weird taste, that's all. No wonder he dresses himself in red, and never bothers to wash his clothes," Miroku answered, getting a big knock on his head in return.

Kagome was struggling, but her hands and feet were bound together by thick ropes, and her mouth stuffed with a bundle of cloth. The bald youkai, Manten, came into the room where she lay and looked at her as she tried to speak.

" What is it, annoying woman?" Manten asked as he removed the cloth from her mouth.

" Didn't you say you need me as an ingredient for your hair-growing potion? If you don't untie me, I'll bite my tongue and bleed to death, then I won't be fresh and your potion won't work!" Kagome yelled.

Manten's eyes widened at the thought, his fat hands reaching for his baldhead and rubbed the last of his remaining hairs. He closed his eyes, squeezing out a ton of tears while he screamed in terror. As he opened his eyes once again, he quickly untied Kagome.

" Now don't you die, okay?" Manten asked.

" But I'm scared your brother will kill me. He said he wanted to cook me for his own purposes!" Kagome exclaimed.

" NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…Brother Hiten won't do that to me!" Manten cried.

" That's the problem. He won't cook you, but he would cook me! I would rather be killed by you, because I'm sure your brother would cut me up into a million pieces, dump them into a stew, and then drink up every little bit of me. His hair would grow nice and thick and shiny, and he would leave your hair as bald as ever, so bald that it would shine like a mirror!" Kagome spoke.

" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...I don't want to be bald! I don't!" Manten cried again.

" Why don't you take me away from this place till your other ingredients are ready, then just come back and dump me in. A powerful youkai like you should be able to handle me easily, right?" Kagome said, trying to suck up to Manten so that he would agree to her demands. It was a wonder how dumb this youkai was, because he threw Kagome onto his storm cloud immediately, leapt on after her, and then soared quickly away from the temple.

Hiten came into the room a while after, and he was stunned to see it completely empty.

" So he got tricked again..."

To those who couldn't see it, the castle was a peaceful fortress, situated on a grassy plane with trees swaying silently on its sides, but to those who can, they would know that the vegetation were mere illusions, the overwhelming jyaki so strong that it rose into the skies, terrorizing the birds. In the fortress was a man, dark wavy hair flowing down his violet kimono. A faint dark, purple glow emitted from his hand, on top of which perched numerous shards of the Shikon jewel. When a man walked up to the screens in front of him, he clasped his hand shut and spoke.

" What is it?" he asked in a demanding tone.

" Lord Kagewaki, the aphids that had been terrorizing the villages had been destroyed," the man said.

" Tell me about it."

" A miko had destroyed the aphids with the Shikon shards. The taijiya were called to finish the rest of them."

" A miko?"

" Hai."

" What is her name?"

" I think she calls herself...Kikyou."

The lord opened his eyes, orbs of blood red that shone in the dim chamber.

" Kikyou...what a familiar name," he thought.

It was a calm day at the village. As the taijiya and the men set off to remove the last of the aphid carcass, and to replant the crops that had been lost to the youkai, the taijiya siblings and the miko sat at the fields, overlooking the young children roaming the grasslands in search of herbs. A young boy plucked out a small flower with delicate white petals, and he hurried back to the miko with the plant clutched in his hand.

" What is this?" he asked.

Just when the miko was about to answer him, the older of the taijiya siblings took the plant and spoke after a short period of examining.

" I know this one, it's a hinagiku," she answered.

" Is that so, Sango-sama? What do you think, Kikyou-sama?" he asked the miko.

" I think she's right, that is certainly a very pretty hinagiku," the miko answered with a smile as the boy placed the flower in front of her and left to find more.

" Everyone loves Kikyou-sama," the younger taijiya commented as his sister nodded. Kikyou blushed at the comment.

All of a sudden, they all heard the sound of many footsteps growing louder and louder. They turned to see many soldiers heading their way, with a well-dressed man leading them.

" Are you Kikyou-san?" the man asked as he approached the miko.

Motoko Aoyama: Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, questions, or just a note saying that you have read this. But one thing, I don't want to see another flame! I will take off my response to the last flame next week since really, I don't want to humiliate people. I just want this to stop. However, if further incidents occur, I might make the WTF section permanent, so that's that. I trust that most of you out there are really supportive and won't do something as stupid as that, but here I gave my last warning and wish that nothing of this sort would occur again. Anyways, I big thank you goes to all you continual supporters of this story! I would really much like to hear from you all once again! Next Chapter: Inuyasha is in danger! Hiten's spear is buried in his flesh, but Kagome, Miroku and Shippou could do nothing to help him as they try to escape from Manten's wrath! Also, what would happen to Kikyou when she arrives at the castle of the mysterious lord? Coming up next – Dangerous Escape.


	20. Dangerous Escape

Motoko Aoyama: Thank you everybody for your support! I really, really appreciate listening to all of you! Since there weren't any flames last chapter (except for you, Penname wa Silver B, tsk tsk...Just kidding) I've decided to take off the WTF on my profile, but if it becomes necessary for me to answer stupid flamers again, you can expect that to appear on my profile once again! Well, well, please let me thank all of you individually!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**Atlantis-rob – **It has been quite a long time since I've heard from you! I'm so glad to see that you are still around! Thanks for supporting all three of my running fics! You are really, really awesome!

**Zero-Nightmare – **I've read your story. It seems to be going well except I don't think I get everything since it is a sequel to somebody's story, right? Anyway, as I've said in my review to your story, I would really like to know what happened to Kikyou. It seems like she just vanished or something! Can't wait to see you update!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Aww...we don't go to the same school...(cries) Yes, I don't live in Reno. From the way I spell some words (well, when my spell check don't change it...) you probably know that I'm not American. Oh well, my school makes us run a lot too! Horrible PE teachers! I'm not scared of you anymore because I don't take PE, ha! Anyway, thanks for reading!

**Varda – **I'm really, really sorry to inform you that at the present moment, Kikyou and Inuyasha cannot meet yet. Please be patient, because I'll try my very best to get them to meet very soon! As for Kagome, I actually don't really hate her. Her " Inuyasha, please save me!" just gets on my nerves at times, considering that later on in the anime she is actually really powerful but doesn't seem to try and help out her friends (I'm saying at times, not always, unlike you idiotic flamers, I try to see the whole picture!) That's why I'm not planning to kill off Kagome in this fic. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Hope you'll continue reading despite that.

**Penname wa Silver B – **Aww...you "flamed" me! Tsk, tsk (shakes finger at naughty reviewer) Anyway, thanks for liking my story! I'll try to keep the updates steady to make up for the short chapters! Thanks for giving me luck in my exams! I'll be sure to ganbatte!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks for your support! Yea, flamers can get quite annoying, ne? Oh well, seems like they have stopped, well presently, I'm not sure if I'll get flamed again after I post this chapter...but anyway, thanks for your continuous support! It is highly appreciated!

**Hieisbabysammy – **No. That soldier was just...a soldier. Bankotsu will come later on, I don't know when yet. Anyway, thanks for reading!

**ShintoPrincessKikyo – **Thanks for your support!

**Nothing Much – **Thanks for your encouragement! I will not stop because of idiotic flamers like them! Kikyou fans should never surrender to flamers! Yeah!

Disclaimer: Wow, I spent 500 words on the AN. I should just get going by saying that I don't own Inuyasha, that's all!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 19

Inuyasha and the others were approaching the mountain, but before they got there, a giant cloud soared above them, and instantly, the hanyou caught the familiar scent of Kagome.

" They're up there!" Inuyasha pointed. Miroku pushed Shippou and Inuyasha behind him as he pried off the prayer beads in his hands, unsealing the void embedded on his palm.

" Kazaana!" Miroku yelled, letting the wind tunnel draw in the bits of cloud from under Manten and Kagome. The young monk resealed the kazaana as Inuyasha ran forth towards the falling girl and caught her in midair.

" What...what is happening?" Manten asked in fear. Inuyasha placed Kagome onto the ground and ran forth towards Manten while Miroku and Shippou ran towards where Kagome was to protect her.

" You are going to die, that's what!" Inuyasha yelled as he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. He slashed the sword at Manten, who dodged clumsily from side to side. Finally realizing that he could shoot lightning, Manten opened his mouth and released a ball of electricity, but obviously, Inuyasha was able to evade it easily, raising his sword as he plunged down towards the youkai's opened mouth.

" Eat a piece of the Tetsusaiga, bastard!" Inuyasha yelled. Manten was so scared that he started to cry again, but amazingly forgot to close his mouth while he waited for the final blow to come, but in return he just heard a deafening clash between metal and metal.

Opening his eyes, he could see the figure of Hiten holding onto his lightning spear, which was locked in combat with the Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha used his brute strength to force away the spear and slashed blindly at Hiten, who proved to be way too fast for him.

" Taste the power of my lightning, dog-shit!" Hiten yelled as he slashed his spear down to the ground, which cracked apart along with the tremendous energy. Inuyasha leapt up to evade the blow, and slashed downwards to lock the Tetsusaiga with the spear once again.

At that time, he could see Manten opening his mouth again, electricity starting to gather once more.

" Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as Manten's lightning soared towards his friends.

" Pay attention, hanyou!" Hiten said with a faint smile, and in a divinely quick move, he knocked away the Tetsusaiga and buried his spear into Inuyasha's flesh.

Kikyou bowed as she accepted the man's offer for her to follow them to the castle nearby, but sensing a strong jyaki in that direction, she had slipped the Shikon shards into Sango's hand. Sango was shocked to feel the placid jewel with her fingers, but she quickly placed them into her kimono sleeve in case the soldiers saw them. As Kikyou followed them towards the castle, she was secretly glad that her arm had healed enough the past few days for her to be able to remove the Shikon shards from it the day before.

Up they tread onto the grassy plains where a great castle was perched. Kikyou could sense a strong jyaki emitting from the depths of the building, her soul pulsed as they noticed the presence of many, many Shikon shards from that area, completely polluted, tainted shards of great evil.

The soldiers led Kikyou into the castle, walking down the dimly lit halls towards a great chamber in the heart of the building. When they approached, Kikyou noticed that many screens shielded the room, hiding everything within them.

" Lord Kagewaki, we've brought Miko Kikyou here," the man called. There was no response.

" Lord Kagewaki?" he asked again, but there was only silence.

Kikyou stepped forward and pushed away the screens gently with her hands to reveal the empty darkness inside.

Beneath the trap door embedded on the cold halls of the castle was a passageway that led into a concealed chamber underground. The chamber was damp and occupied by a nauseating slime with youkai parts floating in the mixture. Attached to it all was the head of the young lord, his wavy hair dangling down by his side while his eyes remained closed in meditation. As his Shikon shards suddenly turned pinkish purple in purity, his eyes flicked open, not red eyes, but brown.

" Did they bring Kikyou here, today?" he questioned, to no one in particular. Narrowing his dark orbs, he summoned the youkai parts into him once again, and hastily dressed himself into the violet kimono.

Kikyou turned as she felt a jyaki from behind her. In the distance approached a young man in a violet kimono, the silk fabric stating his undoubtedly high status. She could guess that he must be the young lord of the castle.

" You must be Kikyou," he said in an emotionless tone. Kikyou bowed deeply, her mind thinking about the newcomer. He definitely emitted a youki, but it was strangely overpowered by his human ki, which felt very familiar to the miko, as if she had met this man before.

" Please come with me," the lord said, breaking Kikyou from her thoughts. She followed him into the chamber that was previously empty.

The lord was sitting at a table with Kikyou bowing down across from him. He examined the miko with his eyes, his soul burning with desire as his gaze drifted along her raven locks. He clutched his fists in frustration.

" I've once heard of a miko by the name of Kikyou. She had guarded the Shikon no Tama fifty years ago, but was killed by a hanyou she had loved. Did you ever hear that rumor before, Kikyou-san?" the lord managed to ask in a flat tone despite the lust surfacing from his human heart.

" I have not, Lord Kagewaki," Kikyou answered, keeping her head bowed to the ground.

" I see. It was said that a hanyou had deceived that miko and fatally wounded her in order to obtain the jewel, but she managed to seal the hanyou with her last breath to retrieve it. Tell me, Kikyou-san, would you have used the jewel and clung onto your life if you were the Miko Kikyou from fifty years ago?" the lord asked.

Kikyou looked up at the lord. She knew he was testing her, trying to find out whether or not she was the miko from so long ago, but she didn't know what to say to his question. She could remember herself clutching onto the jewel with the last of her strength, but she had chose not to use it, not to cling onto her own life.

" I believe she didn't have a choice, Lord Kagewaki. If she had used the jewel for her own selfish purposes, it would have been tainted and surely, she would have failed her duty as the jewel's guardian," Kikyou answered calmly.

The lord laughed.

Motoko Aoyama: Well, hope you all enjoyed it! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this. But please, no flames! I'm tired to listening to idiotic rants about how Kikyou is a clay pot or what not. If you hate Kikyou so much, go ahead and shout in your bathroom or something like that, since for all I know, I'm not interested, and I'm sure other Kikyou fans need not listen to your pathetic nonsense either. Anyway, I trust that all of you here are reading this because you like Kik/Inu, or at least you have nothing against them, so I feel confident that flames won't occur again. Thanks for all of your support! It is greatly appreciated! Next Chapter: Inuyasha is giving up, dying, but will Kagome let him be defeated by Hiten? What would the lord do now that Kikyou has answered his question? What is his intention?


	21. Duel to the Death

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! Your support is my fuel to write more! Now, please allow me to thank each and everyone of you for your encouragement!

**Atlantis-rob – **Thanks for reading and reviewing my stories!

**Nothing Much – **Motoko asks Naraku: You are trying to kill Kikyou aren't you? (Naraku stares at author with innocent red eyes) Well, you'll have to read on to see what our favourite villain is up to! Thanks for reading!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Are you born in Vietnam and immigrated to US, or are you just ethnically Vietnamese? Actually, I am not born in the country I live in, hehe! Maybe we are similar in this sense, lol! Well, thanks for reading! Hope you'll continue to enjoy this!

**AddictedtoInuyasha – **Thanks for liking my story! Please continue to have fun!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Thanks for being patient! Inu/Kik romance would come soon enough. The chapters of them meeting should come in June, and the actually romance probably late June or early July! Hope you'll like them!

**ShintoPrincessKikyo – **Thanks for liking my story! Please continue to support it!

**Varda – **You weren't that mean to Kagome, I've seen worst actually. I somewhat understand the frustration of facing some Kagome fans who flames our fics (shakes fist in anger, but does not attempt to do anything to polite Kagome fans because I have nothing against them). I think I started to dislike Kagome because of those flamers Oh well, I'm glad they aren't annoying me anymore. I like Sango too, I just happen to find Kikyou more interesting. Anyway, thanks for reading! Have fun!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for your support!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **You wanted to draw a pic for it? If you do draw one, please let me see it! Thanks for liking my story! I'm so glad you are enjoying it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, there, nosy lawyers!

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 20

Miroku gripped onto Kagome's school uniform, and leapt out of the way of the ball of lightning Manten had sent after them. Shippou managed to follow them as they saw the energy blast apart the land on which they had stood just a moment ago. They dodged and turned, running on the rocky paths as they hid behind one rock pinnacle after another, confusing the stupid youkai as they weaved in the maze.

" Where? Where are they?" Manten asked to nobody. Kagome, Miroku and Shippou remained motionless behind the giant boulder, peeking at the scene before them.

" This is bad. Hiten landed a blow on Inuyasha's chest," Miroku said.

Kagome risked a look at Inuyasha and Manten in the distance, the youkai's spear pierced right through the chest of the hanyou, spraying his blood into the dusty air. What was worst was that Inuyasha had closed his eyes, his arms dangling limply to his sides.

" I was never meant to come alive again..." Inuyasha thought as his recent days flashed in front of his eyes. He had done nothing. Just met some random people, fought some youkai, but the fact was that Kikyou still hated him, he still couldn't take revenge on the person who had ruined his life fifty years ago. He felt so useless, so weak, that he just wanted to return to the eternal slumber he was destined to endure.

Kagome couldn't bear seeing his new friend like this anymore. Looking to her side, she saw Shippou holding the bow and arrows she had carried along with her earlier that day, before Hiten captured her. Grabbing them from the small fox, she fitted an arrow onto the bow and ran out of the shelter.

" I'll distract him, you two find a way to take out the Shikon shard on its forehead," Kagome said. Manten saw the young girl and shot another ball of lightning at her, but she dodged quickly, running aimlessly on the barren land. The lightning burned the mosses on the rocky soil, producing clouds of dust and horrible odors, but Kagome ignored it all, continuing her sprint.

" Inuyasha! Don't give up! You still haven't taken revenge for Kikyou!" Kagome yelled despite the fact that the words that escaped her mouth had pierced into her mind and sliced into her fragile heart.

" It's useless...I'm useless..." Inuyasha muttered as Hiten grinned, ready to send a shock of lightning down his spear.

Kagome stopped her run and pointed the arrow at Manten, whose mouth opened and electricity started to gather. She watched the orb of energy sail towards her, about to engulf and devour her in one sweep, but she neither ran nor hid, remaining at her spot.

" If I can be strong, Kikyou can be strong, you too can be strong, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled as she released the arrow. It had terrible aim, but her determination allowed the powers of her pure heart to be amplified. A bright glow emitted with the violet streak of Kagome's arrow collided with Manten's lightning, blinding the youkai for a split second. When Manten opened his eyes again, he could see the little fox youkai hovering above him.

" Fox Magic!" Shippou yelled, throwing a spinning top onto Manten's forehead where the shard was embedded. The top grew and grew, spinning faster and faster as it drilled into his flesh and extracted the shard. To further surprise him, Miroku came out of nowhere, grabbed the shard in one sweep, and landed a final blow on Manten's bald head with his staff, slicing him neatly in half.

" Manten!" Hiten yelled as he saw his brother die in front of his eyes, his mind temporarily forgetting the fact that he was dueling with the hanyou. Inuyasha smiled. Yes, if everyone can be strong, he can be strong too. No, it isn't the fact that he can be strong; he must be strong, for Kagome, Miroku, Shippou, and Kikyou.

" You're the one who needs to pay attention!" Inuyasha yelled at Hiten as he gripped onto the lightning spear and ripped it out of his chest amidst a horrible display of his own blood as they soared in the air. Hiten struck at him, but he leapt upwards, throwing blades of blood at his enemy.

" Hijinkessou!" Inuyasha yelled, watching Hiten block the blades with his spear. He landed behind the youkai and delivered more of the blades, forcing him to retreat.

" Damn you, hanyou!" Hiten cursed as he leapt up and slashed his spear at Inuyasha. Just then, he realized that the sheath of the Tessaiga was empty.

Kikyou knew she had given her identity away, but she didn't regret the answer she had given to the laughing lord in front of her. This hanyou before her was just as mysterious as herself.

The young lord stopped his laughing. He had heard enough. The looks, the power, the answer she had given indicated to him that the miko before him was indeed the Kikyou from fifty years ago, but his heart struggled between decision as to be angered, or be overjoyed.

The demon blood coursed in his veins as he gripped onto the dagger on his belt, but when he was about to draw it from its sheath, his human soul struggled, and the spider markings appeared and vanish from his arm with the pulse of his heart.

" Useless thief, Onigumo, stopping me from killing the miko," he thought, but couldn't do anything about his growing desires to possess her. He released the grip from the dagger and brushed his fingers against the miko's cheeks instead.

" I'll tell you that what you said wasn't the reason she hadn't used the jewel," the lord said in a menacing tone. Kikyou shivered as she felt the words ringing in the chamber, as cold as his fingers caressing against the delicate flesh of her face.

" How can you be so sure?" Kikyou managed to ask, trying her best to keep her composure.

" I was there. She had chose to follow that hanyou in death," he spoke, his eyes narrowing in an indescribable hatred.

Or maybe it wasn't hatred...

It was jealousy.

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this! Your support is my fuel to write, so please help me! I'll accept anything other than flames! Thanks again! Have fun this weekend!


	22. Kagewaki's Desires

Motoko Aoyama: Thank you everybody for your support! It is greatly appreciated! I'm sorry about the late update. I had three exams today, one of them being a final that is worth 12 of the year, so I really didn't have much time to write. I'm very, very sorry for that. Now, please let me reply your comments.

**Zero-Nightmare - **Thanks for reading!

**ShintoPrincessKikyo – **Thanks for your review!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Yup! Sesshoumaru will be in this fic. In fact, he did appear in the earlier chapters, but he will make appearances later in this fic as well! Thanks for reading!

**Penname wa Silver B** – 

Kagome: You like me? Thanks!

Inuyasha: Be quiet! Everyone likes me better because the show is named after me! By the way, my sword is spelt Tetsusaiga and Tessaiga, the first being the Viz spelling, and the later the Japanese romanization. Motoko is just being a jerk by spelling it Tetsusaiga sometimes and Tessaiga at other times.

Motoko: Hey! I'm not a jerk! It's just a careless mistake, sheesh! I'll try to keep it spelt Tetsusaiga, so be quiet or else I won't let you see Kikyou!

Inuyasha: NOOOOooo...

Anyway, thanks for your comment! I'll try to put the horizontal lines between scene changes. Hope that'll improve your reading experience!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thank you so much for your support! You could draw Inu/Kik in any position you want, because it is your picture after all. Please just let me have a look when you are done because I'm so curious, hehe!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha because I'm not Rumiko Takahashi, okay?

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 21

Inuyasha caught the glint of the Tetsusaiga in the distance as he saw Hiten's spear descend upon his at an amazing rate. He knew it was too late to dodge the attack, let alone be able to reach his own sword, but he couldn't, he mustn't let himself be defeat this easily!

" Damn me all you want, asshole! You are about to die anyway!" Inuyasha yelled as he ripped out the Tetsusaiga sheath on his belt and used it to intercept the spear.

" Nani?" Hiten spoke as he watched the mere sheath of his enemy's weapon hold back his lightning spear. Inuyasha let out a loud growl as his claws moved the sheath fluidly around his opponents spear and strike the youkai's chest with a deafening thud.

Miroku saw Inuyasha hold out the sheath towards the Tetsusaiga, summoning the blade, and he uncovered the wind tunnel to help suck the sword in their direction. The rocks holding the Tetsusaiga to the ground loosened and slid into Miroku's void, and the blade came flying towards Inuyasha, who gripped it with a quick sweep of his claws.

" It's too late, hanyou. Prepare to die!" Hiten yelled, slashing the lightning spear towards Inuyasha. The lightning was but a bright blur as it zoomed towards the hanyou at a godly speed, and he knew he had but one option.

" You're the one to die!" Inuyasha yelled, slicing right into the lightning, Hiten's jyaki. Wind whirled around the Tetsusaiga as it glowed violently, blinding light and immense power released out of the ancient blade to collide with Hiten's lightning. The power of the Tetsusaiga was too strong, and it devoured the electricity, enveloping the youkai and blasting him into a million pieces before their eyes, leaving only the Shikon shards that were once in his flesh.

Inuyasha slammed the Tetsusaiga onto the ground in exhaustion as his left hand caught the shards in the air.

" You did it, Inuyasha. You did it!" Kagome exclaimed.

Inuyasha turned around to face his friends, and let out a light "Feh" as a wide smile illuminated his rough countenance.

* * *

Sango and Kohaku looked up at the darkening skies, watching the sun as it started to vanish behind the hills in the distance. The soldiers said that the lord of the area had wanted to thank Kikyou for saving the village from the plight of the aphid youkai, but she hadn't returned for the entire afternoon.

" Do you think she is alright?" Kohaku asked. Sango didn't know what to say. The miko should be powerful enough to save herself if she was able to defeat so many aphid youkai, but that is, if her arm wasn't broken, rendering her powers almost useless.

Sango looked down at her pet neko youkai, watching its large red eyes stare back at her innocently. It wouldn't hurt to check up on the miko, especially when Kohaku and herself had also helped in the battle against the aphids.

" Let's go see," Sango said as she ran in the direction of the castle, climbing onto her neko youkai after it had transformed. Kohaku followed closely and climbed on after her as they sailed towards the castle in the near distance.

* * *

Kikyou backed against the wall as the lord approached her in a frightening way, his feet moving silently as if under a trance. She could feel his human ki taking over, and underneath it all, she sensed his soul burning with desire, desire for her.

" Why did you follow that hanyou, Kikyou? Answer me!" the lord yelled as he pushed the miko, pinning her shoulders to the wall behind her.

" Who are you?" Kikyou asked, trying to summon her powers. She gripped onto the lords's arm and sent a shock of energy at him, but it didn't work.

" Give up, miko. I had chosen this day to become a full human. I'm immune to your powers of purity," he said menacingly, pushing Kikyou onto the ground. The miko fell backwards, her head colliding onto the floor rendering her unconscious.

The lord bent over the unmoving figure of the miko, his fingers brushing themselves against her raven locks once again. He was smiling with delight, his eyes glinting with lust.

" I have sold my soul to the demons just for this. Fifty years, fifty years I have waited. Kikyou, you are finally mine!"

Just when he bent down to kiss the miko, a voice emitted from outside, stopping him from progressing further.

" Two taijiya wishes to see you, Lord Kagewaki," a soldier reported.

" Kill them!"

The soldier hurried away, running down the deserted halls of the castle.

" I won't let anyone disturb us, Kikyou..." he hissed.

* * *

Sango and Kohaku weren't expecting the flanks of soldiers rushing out of the fortress to surround them. It was certain now that Kikyou was in danger.

As millions of arrows descended on them, Sango climbed back up Kirara's back and unleashed the hiraikotsu, knocking the archers unconscious in one sweep. Kohaku held onto the blade of the kusari-gama and whipped its long chain at the soldiers, defeating another dozen easily. From the air, Sango launched the hiraikotsu at the castle gates and blasted it open, allowing the taijiya siblings to rush into the castle.

* * *

The young lord ran his hand down Kikyou's hakui sleeves until his fingers felt the rough surface of her hakama belt. Tracing the long piece of fabric, he reached the knot of the belt and started to untie it.

* * *

More and more soldiers poured into the halls and the taijiya invaded, whirling kicks and swinging punches laying many down in several moves. Still, Sango knew they were making slow progress, so she pushed Kohaku behind him.

" Take care of the ones behind us, Kohaku. I'll deal with the ones ahead," Sango whispered, and in a thundering battle cry, the giant boomerang soared through the crowd, knocking all of them out of the way. Kohaku wasn't weak either. The chain of his kusari-gama slithered like a snake and whacked a couple dozen down with a single motion.

" There she is!" Sango yelled as she caught the flicker of movement from behind the screens to a chamber up ahead. Kohaku rushed forward and released the sickle of the kusari-gama towards the screen, the sharp blade severing the screen in a neat slice.

They were shocked to see the young lord of the castle bending over the fallen miko, his fingers resting on the knot of the miko's belt, attempting to untie it. Sango was beyond furious. The miko and the taijiya had helped destroy the aphid youkai, but here was the lord of the region, trying to do something hentai on the miko!

" You'll not get away, asshole!" Sango cursed as she whipped the hiraikotsu at the lord, who leapt away just in time to evade the boomerang that crashed on the ground beside the miko where he had just stood a moment ago. Sango didn't hesitate slightly as she drew her katana and slashed at the lord, who dodged and turned from side to side until he found enough time to shoot a flying dagger at the taijiya. Sango was petrified to see the short blade zooming towards her at the corner of her vision, but just when it was about to strike, Kohaku's kusari-gama chain flashed past and knocked the dagger off its course.

Sango returned her gaze at where her opponent once stood, but the space was empty, telling her that the lord had escaped. She sheathed her katana and joined Kohaku who had rushed to the miko's side.

" Let's take her back before the soldiers come here," Sango said. Kohaku nodded.

Motoko Aoyama: So, that was that! Kusari-gama is the chained blade thing that Kohaku carries. Lord Kagewaki (Naraku) was lusting for Kikyou in this chapter because he is a hanyou, so he has to change to a full human once in a month although in one of the episodes it mentioned that he could pick the date, unlike Inuyasha. Therefore, in this chapter, Naraku is a full human and he is controlled by the soul of Onigumo. I think that's all the stuff that I had to clear up. Thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, questions, comments or just a note saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated! Arigatou once again!


	23. Fight for the Sword

Motoko Aoyama: Yay! I'm back! Thanks for supporting my fic! Please allow me to thank each of you for your generous reviews!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Thanks for your review! Inuyasha and Kikyou's paths will cross in the next chapter, but their actual "reunion" would be in Chapter 26 so please just wait a little bit! Arigatou!

**Nothing Much** – Wow...I never thought of myself being the "God" of this fic, lol! But thanks a lot for giving me such encouragement! I'll never fall down because of flames!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for reading!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Thanks for your support!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thank you so much for liking this fic and drawing a pic too! I'll try to update "Fukai Mori" as soon as I have time!

**Penname wa Silver B**

Naraku: I thought you were my friend, Motoko!

Motoko: You'd wish...by the way, Penname wa Silver B says that you are scary so go home and improve your manners, please. You are not supposed to kill your guests, understood?

Naraku: But throughout 167 episodes of Inuyasha I still didn't kill Inuyasha, so how can you say I kill my guests?

(Motoko simply whacks Naraku's head with pencil sharpener that is standing on my desk)

Well, anyway, thanks for your review! Hope you liked Naraku's response!

**Mikokikyo2 – **They will meet (as in seeing each other) in the next chapter, but you'll have to wait till chapter 26 when they actually talk to each other and such. Thanks anyway!

**Cold Kikyo**

Kikyou: You hentai! I'll kill you!

Naraku: NOOOOOOOooo...forgive me! It was just Onigumo!

Kikyou: (kicks his ass anyway)

Naraku: (cries)

Motoko: Good for you, bad boy.

Sorry, but Kikyou can't kick Naraku's ass just yet, so hopefully this little dialogue would make you feel better! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, because if I did, I would be so fricking rich, right?

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 22

Light seeped in through the cracks between the wooden walls of the cottage where the miko lay unconscious on the ground. Sango and Kohaku were seated next to her when she started to stir awake with the growing brightness of the morning sunlight.

" Where...where am I?" Kikyou asked.

" We're back at the village," Sango answered.

It took a while before Kikyou remembered what had happened the day before. The lord's menacing voice, slender cold fingers, and lustful eyes pierced into her mind and so she subconsciously gripped onto her hakui in fright.

" What...what happened?" Kikyou asked in an agitated tone.

" Don't worry, Kikyou-sama, we got there before any harm was done to you," Kohaku explained. Kikyou released her grip on her hakui and sighed in relief, not knowing that the lord was her bitterest enemy, and he was still after her.

* * *

" If not for that stupid Onigumo who had wanted to possess the miko, I would've killed her before the taijiya came," a figure in a white baboon suit muttered. Several poisonous bee-like insects hovered above him and spoke to him in an indecipherable code of beating wings.

" That hanyou is alive too, and his brother is after him? How interesting. I might as well give that foolish taiyoukai a hand in his plan," he muttered, flinging a Shikon shard into the air and catching it with an easy sweep.

* * *

A few days had passed since then, and the reconstruction of the village neared its completion. The miko's arm had finally recovered, and once again, she was able to protect the jewel shards she had entrusted to the taijiya before she had left for the castle. Kikyou and the villagers gathered at the main path that led to the outer world, watching the taijiya as they walked into the distance. Sango made one last look at the miko and smiled before turning away.

" I wonder if we'll ever see Kikyou-sama and the others again," Kohaku said to Sango. Sango looked down at Kohaku with widened eyes, surprised that he was thinking about the same thing as she was, then her gaze softened, and she whispered her reply.

" I certainly hope so."

Kikyou had decided to stay at the village a little longer to tend to the sick and wounded. The aphid attacks had destroyed the crops, and famine and poor hygiene from rotting corpses had caused many to fall ill. Just as the miko was wiping the sweat off a patient with fever, her soul pulsed suddenly.

"A Shikon shard!" she whispered.

* * *

The taiyoukai walked along the grassy planes with his faithful servant by his side. As they reached the end of their path, he looked downwards at the fields and cottages below. A peaceful village it seemed, but all humans and youkai alike knew that many lost their lives in this village, lost their lives for the Shikon no Tama it once housed.

Sesshoumaru touched his new arm, a human arm, with the glint of the Shikon shard glowing in the sunlight. A man dressed in a baboon suit had given it to him, along with a hive of poisonous saimyoushou that he promised would plug up a certain houshi's kazaana. With these, Sesshoumaru knew he would obtain what he wanted above all, the legendary Tetsusaiga that he alone knew how to use, or so he thought.

* * *

Inuyasha sat impatiently on the wooden floor within Kaede's cabin as the old miko wrapped a long piece of cloth around the hanyou's body to stop the bleeding caused by Hiten's spear. Towards the side, Shippou and Miroku examined the shards in Kagome's hand, the first Shikon shards they had obtained since the beginning of the journey. When the shards were first extracted from Hiten and Manten, they were dark and corrupted, and neither the hanyou, chibi youkai, nor the houshi knew what to do with it. They all stared in awe when the innocent girl from the future picked the shards up with her bare hands, turning them pink in the glory of true purity, and so it was agreed that any shards obtained hence would be given to her to be purified.

While their eyes stared transfixed at the brilliance of the Shikon jewel, the hanyou suddenly leapt up and grabbed the Tetsusaiga, which was leaning on the side of the wall just a while ago. Everyone was startled by his action, except Kagome who seemed just as disturbed as Inuyasha.

" I smell that arrogant dog's scent," Inuyasha whispered.

" I sense a Shikon shard, approaching really fast!" Kagome exclaimed.

Shippou looked confusedly at the houshi, who stood perfectly still, his hand on the prayer beads that sealed the kazaana.

" Could it be..." he remarked.

The coming of a strong jyaki interrupted him in mid-sentence, the mat covering the entrance to the hut blew off in an instant to finish off Miroku's sentence.

It was indeed, Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Kikyou sped along the dirt path that the taijiya had just followed a while ago, but she was headed for a different destination. When she was out of sight of the village, the shinidamachu swept down towards their master, and she quickly flicked a single shard into one of them, and then leapt onto its long, sleek body while it transformed into a giant and soared quickly towards the distance.

The distance was closing, between Kikyou and the village she had lived in and protected fifty years ago.

* * *

The taiyoukai wasted no time, he shot forward, his whip lashed out at the houshi in front of him. Miroku was startled and for a moment he didn't know how to react to the agility displayed, but Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga arrived just in time to deflect the whip.

" Get out of the way, houshi," Sesshoumaru warned in a cold tone.

Miroku was angered by the comment. He was not ready to let the taiyoukai slice up his friend, and so his hand pried off the prayer beads, and the wind tunnel was lashed out.

" Kazaana!"

Sesshoumaru threw the saimyoushou hive at the houshi and the spherical outer crust disintegrated in an instant to reveal thousands and thousands of poisonous insects, all entering the kazaana with each passing second. In just a few moments, the houshi collapsed from the poison.

" Why did you do that? Miroku didn't do anything to you!" Shippou yelled.

" I told him not to interfere, and you will not either, inferior being," Sesshoumaru said, and with a flick of the whip, he was about to take the kitsune's life.

" You're fighting me, asshole!" Inuyasha yelled as he swept the Tetsusaiga at the whip. The two leapt and turned, dueled and withdrew, soon exiting the hut to stand on the open plains, beginning the true battle.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this! Thank you very much. Also, if you are interested in getting together with other Kikyou fans, you can join a group that mikokikyo2 had created. You can find the link on her profile page as well as on mine! It is still under construction, but it is a safe place for Kikyou fans to have fun and talk about Inuyasha stuff! Hope to see you people there! 


	24. Decision

Motoko Aoyama: I've updated! Yay! Thanks for all your support! Please allow me to take a minute and thank each of you for your generous reviews!

**Cold Kikyo – **Yup! They will meet in this chapter, but no dialogue between Inu/Kik yet. That will have to wait for the next few chapters to come. Thanks!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Actually, I'm still busy with exams too, so I can totally understand your situation. Take your time writing! My email is on my profile too so if you will, you can contact me through that too. Thanks for reading!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Cool! Sess/Kik/Inu picture! Wow! Good luck in it!

**Mikokikyo2 – **Thanks for your review!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Thank you for reading!

**Penname wa Silver B**

Inuyasha: (bugs Kagome)

Kagome: Must stay calm...don'tbe disturbed...otherwise Penname wa Silver B will take me to a therapist

Inuyasha: (pokes Kagome's head)

Kagome: OSUWARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! I mean...Die.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this conversation too!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha because I'm not a rich Japanese woman. Go sue her or something, not me!

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 23

Sesshoumaru's bright green whip lashed out at Inuyasha without the slightest bit of hesitation, and Inuyasha had to struggle very hard in order to block with the heavy Tetsusaiga. The blade and the whip collided and withdrew in an endless dance, the slower, the weaker one doomed to be destroyed.

A trickle of sweat dripped down Inuyasha's forehead as he continued to wave his sword from side to side in order to stay alive, but he could feel the sword's motion slowing, his arms starting to burn with pain and exhaustion. Just then, he noticed that the whip had suddenly changed its course and twirled around the sword!

It was too late.

With a menacing smirk, Sesshoumaru's whip retreated, pulling the Tetsusaiga with it so that the blade landed on the ground beside the taiyoukai. Inuyasha was stunned when his half-brother's left hand reached out from the sleeves of his kimono to grasp onto the sword.

" I thought I hacked that arm off the last time we met, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha commented angrily.

" Asking so much even though you are about to die, hanyou," Sesshoumaru replied in a cold tone as he drew the Tetsusaiga out of the ground, and transformed it into its enlarged state once more in a single sweep.

" How could you?" Inuyasha asked with surprise, unable to believe that the Tetsusaiga failed to repel the youkai's power.

" I've decided to use humans for once, just so that the Tetsusaiga would stay in the hands of a worthy youkai as myself," Sesshoumaru said calmly.

" What do you mean by worthy, asshole? A stupid idiot like you don't deserve to have the Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha yelled as he plunged forward to attack his half-brother with his claws.

Sesshoumaru flung his whip out at Inuyasha and sent him sprawling on the ground. Shippou and Kagome rushed out of the hut to gather around Inuyasha, hoping that he was all right.

" You wouldn't give up until you saw the true power of this sword, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru commented lazily as he lashed his whip out into the forest woods in the distance. With one sweep, a thousand trees fell to the ground, and the shouki from the taiyoukai corroded the green canopies in an instant, turning them into a dark mash of dead leaves. Such disturbance caused many youkai to arise from the former woods, their jyaki so strong that the skies turned dark in a single second. Sesshoumaru turned towards them and raised the Tetsusaiga, allowing the sword's youki to collide with that of the many youkai. There, the point where the two youki collided with each other, was where Sesshoumaru sliced the sword downwards, bright glows of youkai energy soaring out of the blade to scar the land amidst the deaths of a hundred youkai.

" Sugoi..." Kagome couldn't help but mutter in amazement.

" That is the Kaze no Kizu, something you, a pathetic imitation of a youkai, cannot perform," Sesshoumaru mocked, "now it is your turn to be blasted into dust by the Tetsusaiga."

" Keh! Was that what you called the true power of the Tetsusaiga? Give me a break, Sesshoumaru, I just killed off Hiten with that attack!" Inuyasha laughed.

Just then, Kagome remembered that Inuyasha had used the Kaze no Kizu on Hiten, but why didn't he use it on Sesshoumaru when they had begun the battle just a while ago?

" And you weren't able to do that to me just a while earlier, my dear half-brother. That is because you can't see the Kaze no Kizu, not with those half-breed eyes of yours," Sesshoumaru exclaimed as he swept the Tetsusaiga at Inuyasha once again, the hanyou was barely able to evade the strong youkai energy of the Kaze no Kizu.

The hanyou leapt and turned, the Kaze no Kizu blows following closely behind him, sending boulders and dust all over the place. Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the chibi kitsune and the girl from the modern days.

" Stubborn hanyou, I'll get rid of your pathetic friends first," the taiyoukai yelled as the Kaze no Kizu soared towards the powerless duo.

" Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he leapt forward, not knowing what to do. All he got was the sheath of the Tetsusaiga!

Inuyasha lashed out the sheath from his belt and swept it towards the Kaze no Kizu. The sheath cracked upon the impact with the tremendous energy, but managed to hold most of it back till the hanyou finally succumbed to the power and got blasted backwards onto the ground.

" Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, rushing to the hanyou's side. Inuyasha was growling in anger, his teeth started to grow longer and sharper, taking the appearance of a fearsome fang, his claws elongating, and three jagged magenta stripes scarred his face as marks of frustration.

" I've had enough, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled as he leapt towards his half-brother.

Kagome could only watch as they dueled again, Inuyasha's newly gained energy barely able to evade the attacks of the Tetsusaiga. She must think of something fast before the hanyou lost his strength and die by the power of his own sword.

The modern girl's eyes widened as they spotted a figure in the distance, standing on the top of a cliff. The figure was dressed in a white hakui and red hakama, her raven hair blowing in the breeze. In her hand was a bow, and resting on her back was a quiver of arrows!

" Kikyou!" Kagome exclaimed.

Kagome ran to the cliff, which was luckily not very tall, just about twice the girl's height. She gripped onto an outcropping of the rocky face and climbed her way upwards.

Kikyou heard the sound of feet against rock from beneath her. Looking downwards, she saw the girl who greatly resembled her climb up onto the ledge on which she was standing. As they faced each other, the girl looked at her with hopeful eyes and spoke.

" I'm so glad I found you," she said.

" So you are the girl who is with Inuyasha," Kikyou answered with an air of indifference.

" It's no time to talk now, please save him," Kagome said.

To her surprise, Kikyou lowered her eyes towards her and spoke in a very cold manner.

" Why should I? He was the one who nearly killed me fifty years ago."

Kagome was stunned. Didn't Kikyou come all this way to save Inuyasha? Why is she like this?

" I came merely for the Shikon shards," she answered, as if knowing what Kagome was thinking.

Kagome was silent for a moment as she joined Kikyou to watch the battle from the top of the cliff. Inuyasha loved Kikyou so much, yet, yet the miko was so cold towards him! The miko didn't even bother to try to understand him! Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. Her jealousy, her anger all blasted out at once.

" He loves you so much yet you don't even trust him! He's not the one who tried to kill you! It was Onigumo, or Naraku, or whatever! Why wouldn't you even stop to think for once? Inuyasha...every time he fights, he's fighting to stay alive so that, so that he could see you again!" Kagome yelled.

Kikyou let out a slight gasp upon hearing Kagome's words, her eyes widening in realization. Onigumo...that name, that presence...she finally understood.

With that, she drew a single arrow from her quiver, and fitted it on her bow.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Well, did you like this chapter? Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this! Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: What will Kikyou do with the arrow on her bow? What is her decision? 


	25. Kaze no Kizu

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks everyone for your support! Please allow me to thank each of you individually!

**Nothing Much – **Thanks for telling me that Guren no Horaijima is out! I was so anxious to watch it that I watched the trailer twenty times to hear Hidaka Noriko wonderful voice! Thanks for your support for this story as well!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Thanks for your review!

**PowerfulMind – **I can totally understand! I don't hate Inu/Kag that much either, but Inu/Kik is just so much more of a bag of cookies for me! I cried at the end of the spring special too, at the part where Kaede started reminiscing about the event that occurred at the goshinboku (despite the fact that I'm totally not a fan of Kaede...) Okay, sorry about my long blabber. Thanks for your review!

**Kikyou-sama – **Thanks for reading! I can't answer your question yet since it is going to spoil the story if I do. For now, I'll just say that they have "alike souls" in the sense that they have the same powers. If you really, really want to know the answer to your question, you can send me an email and I'll reply you from there (my email is on my profile page)

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks again for your support! I really, really want to see your picture, so if you can, please email it to me!

**Penname wa Silver B – **Hi again! I'm sorry to inform you that I'm unable to give you a conversation since my "dear" Kagome has ran away for fear that she would be put in a padded room with men in white jackets. She said she prefers pink ones...anyway, thanks for reading and hope you'll continue to have fun!

**Hieisbabysammy – **Sorry about the cliffhanger! I'm back to write the next chapter though so thanks for waiting!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for reading! In this fic, I try to picture Kagome as a nicer girl so hopefully you won't hate her as much.

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for your review!

**Mikokikyo2 – **Thanks for reading!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha because if I do, I won't be writing fanfics right?

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 24

Inuyasha's heart was losing control over his body; the youkai blood is starting to take over, the other side of his face about to be scarred as well. He couldn't lose his human nature, he couldn't lose to youkai, he couldn't!

" I must live!" Inuyasha yelled in his mind.

But it was too late when he spotted the figure of Sesshoumaru behind him, Tetsusaiga raised above the taiyoukai with jyaki whipping down its blade.

" Die."

The hanyou tried to dodge, but his feet were too tired to move. All he could do was to shut his eyes to wait for the blow.

Which never came.

A purification arrow soared in the air, aimed at Sesshoumaru. It cracked his armor, ripped his kimono sleeve, and struck his left arm at where the Shikon jewel was, blasting the fake limb right off the taiyoukai, the Tetsusaiga crashing onto the ground along with the freed shard.

" Ki...Kikyou?" Inuyasha muttered.

The priestess summoned the tainted shard to her, which purified immediately under her touch. With a swift gesture, Kikyou dropped the shard onto Kagome's hand and made her way back to where she had came from.

" Where are you going?" Kagome asked.

Kikyou didn't answer her. She continued to walk away as she made her last remark.

" Whether or not you could save Inuyasha would depend on how you use that shard."

With that, she vanished once again, leaving Kagome stunned, not knowing what to do. She turned her attention back to the battle and saw that Inuyasha too was looking in the direction of where Kikyou had just been, but Sesshoumaru...

" Look out, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha dodged just in time to evade Sesshoumaru's light whip as it crashed onto the ground beside where the Tetsusaiga had landed. The hanyou knew that he would be unable to survive if he couldn't get to his sword, but with Sesshoumaru guarding it the way he was, he would definitely be sliced into a million pieces before he could reach the weapon.

Kagome saw that too.

She stared at the shard in her hand, along with the other shards they had obtained from the Thunder Brothers. As Kikyou had said, if Inuyasha were to survive, she would have to use those shards, somehow.

And she sensed it, the jyaki that made Sesshoumaru's light whip. All she had to do was to purify that, and the Tetsusaiga would be left unguarded!

Kagome took out an arrow from her quiver and fitted all the shards onto its tip, causing it to glow a bright violet the way it did when Kikyou had shot her arrow just a while ago. The girl drew the arrow, struggling to pull the bowstring back towards her chin in order to shoot at the target far away. Concentrating, she remembered how the miko had shot, and with sheer determination, she yelled.

" Please lend me your strength this time, Kikyou!"

The arrow flew, quite wobbly, but it flew, and guided by gravity, and a bit of luck with the wind, it managed to land some proximity from the Tetsusaiga. The tremendous energy from the shards left the arrow and into the ground, the violet glow pulsing along the dirt surface like ripples in the water. In an instant, Sesshoumaru's whip was blown back, and his jyaki was weakening under the purity. That was the hanyou's only chance. Despite the risk of him being purified, he ran towards the glow, and in a painful gesture, reached out to touch the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. When the energy faded, the blade was once again in his possession, jyaki flowing down the giant fang as it transformed once more. The hanyou struggled to see it, the line where his youki clashed with that of his brother, and knowing it was his final chance, he whipped the blade downwards in a deafening cry of "Kaze no Kizu," bright light ripping the ground with fearful ferocity, enveloping the unsuspecting taiyoukai in its power.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. He was done for, this was the end, but at the last moment, the sword hanging from his belt pulsed, blue light beginning to intensify, and then it was all blue, the yellow light of Kaze no Kizu couldn't be seen by the taiyoukai anymore.

" Did you do it, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked as Kagome hurried down the cliff to retrieve the Shikon shards and Miroku tried his best to come up despite the poison that had entered through his kazaana.

" I don't know. He's gone, but I'm not sure if he is dead," Inuyasha muttered. He walked off towards the cliff.

" Where are you going, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha didn't answer as he leapt up the cliff and ran down the path where Kikyou had come from.

* * *

Further down that path, Kikyou was racing towards the taijiya village. Flame and smoke started to emit from in front of her, and she knew that her prophecy was correct.

Everything was red, the red flames, the red blood, and the red light reflecting off the lifeless pupils of the taijiya. Jyaki was everywhere, but no youkai were seen. It had been a raid, and it was over, when all life had perished.

The only living soul the miko could sense was starting to fade. She rushed to the old man who reached for his sword despite his dying state, hoping to continue fighting, for himself, for his people.

" Is it the youkai?" Kikyou asked.

" Hai, thousands of them. They came when the boss and the others were out at the castle. It is a wana, I know it. Please go safe them, miko-sama," the man muttered.

" Where is the castle?" she asked.

" In the mountains not far to the east. Please...save...them..." the man finished, his last breath carried away with the wind.

Kikyou turned towards the east. Shikon shards, jyaki, and that human presence...

Onigumo.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Hopefully this chapter wasn't too bad so please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you have read this! Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: Sango awakens to a world that would never be the same for her. How will she react? 


	26. Cruel Awakening

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks people for your appreciation! As promised, the Inu/Kik would come soon so hopefully your patience would last till that point. Anyway, please let me thank each of you before you proceed onto reading this chapter!

**Zero-Nightmare – **I loved the boat scene with Inuyasha kissing Kikyou too! Heh...I rewatched that like a million times. Guren no Horaijima fansubs are out, but if you want to buy the discs you'll have to wait till August I think. I think that movie was okay...a bit too much fighting and too little Kikyou for my taste, but yea, it wasn't too bad. Thanks for your review!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Yes! Pictures! I loved them! Actually, I think it would be funnier to add Jaken in the Sess/Kik one, maybe have him getting hit by a rock or something, lol! Can't wait to see your other ones! Thanks again!

**Sephynarutocloud – **Well, the first fanfics I wrote was mostly Motoko based stories for the Love Hina category. Motoko is one of my favourite anime characters, well, Kikyou too, but then Motoko's future seems a bit more optimistic, so I figured I'll use her name for my penname instead. As for your Onigumo question, I don't think he'll take over anytime soon though, hehe, especially when human Inuyasha didn't make his appearance yet (winks)

**Kikyou-sama – **My offer will stand, don't worry, but I'm pretty sure you won't have a great urge to know anytime soon since it doesn't have much to do with the story anyway. Thanks for reading!

**Penname wa Silver B**

Kagome: I don't want purple monkeys! I want silver-haired half dogs in pink jackets! (looks at Inuyasha)

Inuyasha: This is a cloak, not a jacket, and it is red! R-E-D! RED!

Rin: no, it's pink!

Inuyasha: You are supposed to be mute! Penname wa Silver B says so!

Motoko: Aww...don't be mean...I'll just cut out her annoying lines instead.

Inuyasha: Why are you always on their side, Motoko?

Motoko: Kagome...Kikyou...

Kagome and Kikyou: DIE!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Me too. I sorta dislike Kagome, but I don't hate her. I just don't like some of her fans who flame my fics.

**Hieisbabysammy – **Well, the Inu/Kik would start next chapter. From there on, there would be Inu/Kik throughout the rest of the story, so hopefully you will like it!

**Nothing Much – **I think the movie had a bit too much fighting and too little Kikyou, but I did like the flashback about what happened fifty years ago, because Hidaka Noriko is just too awesome, not to mention Kikyou's cute expression when Inuyasha whined! Hehe!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**Mikokikyo2 – **Thanks for your review!

* * *

Disclaimer: Erm...excuse me...if I did own Inuyasha, my stories won't be called a **fan**fic right?

* * *

**A Different Journey **

Chapter 25

_The best of the taijiya stood in front of the castle, weapons at hand, waiting for the source of the jyaki to befall them. With a strike of lightning, a horde of demons soared forth from the dark skies, another horde appearing from behind the bushes. Kirara transformed into her giant form, and taking Sango with her, they flew upwards following the unleashed hirakotsu, bringing down dozens of the foe in each movement. Millions of arrows from the other taijiya blasted through the demonic ranks, their disintegrated flesh falling towards the ground like rain. Kohaku, with his mask secured on his face, gripped onto the handle of the shining kusari-gama, ready to throw its razor sharp blade at the demons in front. With one forceful hurl, the weapon sliced the head of the spider youkai while the other taijiya slashed at its legs. To finish it off, Sango hurled the hiraikotsu at the back of the spider from above, spraying its blood into the musky air amidst its horrible, final cry._

_The old lord of the castle clapped his hands together in admiration, his lips curled in a contented smile. _

" _You did well, taijiya. Reward them," the lord said plainly. At that moment, Kohaku suddenly rose and turned towards the other taijiya._

" _What are you doing, Kohaku?" Sango's father said in a harsh tone._

_There was a terrifying emptiness in Kohaku's eyes as he lifted the kusari-gama. To all of their surprise, the blade came hurling at the boss of the taijiya, slicing the carotid artery in his neck._

" _Father!" Sango yelled. Kohaku ignored her voice as he continued on, slicing the first row of unsuspecting taijiya with his blade. The rest charged at Kohaku, but he dodged between them skillfully with his small body, blade slicing more flesh, taking more lives. Just as a taijiya was about to take the boy's life, Sango ran forth and pushed her brother away, knowing full well that he would probably take her life instead. Kohaku didn't seem aware of what Sango did, and unleashed the kusari-gama at the man, killing him in a single slice. Apart from himself and Sango, all the taijiya were slaughtered._

" _Kohaku..." Sango muttered. Her brother leapt above her, and before she could turn, the boy's blade was already buried in her back._

_Sango fell onto the blood stained ground, her heart clenching painfully. Why? Why did Kohaku do this? At that moment, a clang of armor on the soil took her attention. She turned to face her brother whose eyes were its normal shade once again, tears welling up in the brownish orbs. _

" _Ane-ue..." he muttered._

_Sango could now see the tread of spider web that attached Kohaku to the lord. He controlled her little brother!_

" _You will not get away!" Sango yelled despite the kusari-gama that was still planted in her flesh. She ran towards the lord, her sword drawn, about to attack._

" _They have gone mad. Kill them," the lord ordered. The ranks of bowmen drew their arrows, and in a sweep of the lord's hand, the sharp staffs rained down on the last of the taijiya, slaughtering the young boy on the spot with his elder sister screaming before she too fell unconscious._

" _Kohaku!"

* * *

_

Sango heard her own voice ringing in her ears as it echoed off the walls. She opened her eyes to see that she was inside a small cottage, lying on a plain white futon with her wounds carefully bandaged to stop the bleeding.

" Where am I?" Sango asked to no one in particular. A man in a baboon suit came walking into the chamber and sat beside the young taijiya.

" You're in an abandoned cottage not far from the castle where I found you," the man said, his face completely hidden beneath the suit he was wearing.

" So it wasn't just a dream. It was real..."

" Yes. You fell unconscious due to your injuries, but it seems that you are fine now. I'm glad."

" Arigatou for saving me, but if you don't mind, I must return to my village now," Sango said despite the pain of remembering that the other taijiya who had come with her were all gone. She must return to take care of the others in her father's stead.

" Matte, Sango-san. Your village is no longer the way it is a few days ago," the man said.

" Nani?"

" It had been destroyed by a youkai, no, a hanyou. His name is Inuyasha."

" Inuyasha," Sango repeated the name with a dreadful hate. She quickly put on her armor, gathered her hiraikotsu and sword, placed Kirara on her shoulders, and made her way out of the cottage. But just a few steps caused her body to ache horribly, and she immediately fell to the ground.

" Here, take this," the man said, slipping a shard of violet stone into Sango's hand. She immediately recognized it for the shards that Kikyou had once entrusted with her.

" Shikon no Tama?" Sango asked.

" Yes. Place this shard into your wound and you'll regain your strength. But I must warn you, this Inuyasha is no ordinary hanyou. He is cunning and deceives humans to be his friends in order to disguise his foul nature. Don't let him trick you," the man said.

" Arigatou once again. I would be honored to know your name," Sango spoke as she placed the shard into her body.

" It's Naraku," he muttered. Sango nodded and ran off into the distance.

* * *

Kikyou could sense the remnants of jyaki rising into the skies as she neared the castle, and soon, she could smell the scent of blood in the air, so strong that it was almost nauseating. A servant in the distance worked on the soil with his shovel, making another deep hole in the ground to accommodate another body.

" Are they the taijiya?" Kikyou asked as she approached the man.

" Yes. They were summoned to kill the demons, but somehow, one of them went crazy and killed off the rest. Only this girl called Sango survived. She was rescued by a man dressed in a white baboon suit," he answered.

" Do you know the name of that man?" Kikyou asked.

" Well...let's see...I think it is Naraku..."

Kikyou's eyes widened as she remembered what Kagome had told her.

_" He loves you so much yet you don't even trust him! He's not the one who tried to kill you! It was Onigumo, or Naraku, or whatever! Why wouldn't you even stop to think for once? Inuyasha...every time he fights, he's fighting to stay alive so that, so that he could see you again!"_

It had started. As Kikyou sensed a clean Shikon shard moving swiftly towards the taijiya village, about to meet with the coming of three pure shards, she knew that the wana was about to find its next target...

Inuyasha.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Hope you people liked this chapter! Thanks for reading and please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this! Constructive criticism are welcome, but please, don't flame me. I'm tired of people flaming me just to tell me how much he/she hates Kikyou and how much of an idiot he/she thinks I am just because I like Kikyou. That's about it. Next Chapter: Kikyou and Inuyasha meet at last! Naraku and Onigumo, mystery revealed! 


	27. Naraku's Wana

Motoko Aoyama: THANK YOU EVERYONE! Okay, I know I'm not supposed to use all capitals because "it is a disrespect for the language," but I don't know how to express my gratitude towards you people! Thank you so, so, so much! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so please allow me to thank each and every one of you!

**Nothing Much – **Yatta! Battle armour Kikyou! Woot! I loved her too, but yea, she's evil, and yea...why can't the real Kikyou wear battle armour too?

**Hanyo-girl – **Thanks for your reviews (happy to put in the plural to that word, hehe). Hope you are enjoying the story so far!

**Atlantis-rob – **Is it just me, or has it been a long time since I saw you around? (blinks) Anyway, thanks for reviewing my stories once again! I'm so happy you liked the twists I made to the original story.

**Kikyou-sama – **Thanks for your review!

**Sephynarutocloud – **Thanks for your support! Yea, I don't get why people talk about how much they hate Kikyou in the review/flame, but at least for the past few updates, they haven't annoyed me, so I'm very happy for that. I'm very glad you are looking forward to the Inu/Kik!

**Zero-Nightmare – **So far, I've only received 3 flames to this story, and since they are all anonymous ones, I deleted them, muahaha! I will never back down to flames, because I'm a proud anti-flamer (as you can see, I don't really like Kagome, but I've never flamed her fans, or bash her in my fics, because I have respect for others, not like some idiots out there). I will keep writing because that is something I like to do, yay! I'm go have a look at your story right after I update, okay? Thanks again for your support!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for your review! Flaming isn't right! I totally agree!

**SassyRecombinantpassions – **Thank you for reading!

**HydroFanatic – **Heya! Welcome back! I'm so glad that you think this story is improving! I'll continue to work hard! Let all the Inuyasha Fans gambatte and write good fics, yay!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**Bestofbothworlds – **Thanks for liking this story!

**Mikokikyo2 – **Yay! I'm glad that Inu/Kik goodness is coming too! Anyway, I found out what is the problem to the shrines that I have made, but I still don't have time to fix it. I'll get to work on them asap! Hope our group continues to flourish!

* * *

Disclaimer: I almost forgot...anyway, I don't own Inuyasha, so please don't knock on my door and say you want to sue me, okay?

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 26

" Inuyasha! Wait!" Miroku called to the hanyou with the fox demon riding precariously on his shoulders. The half demon didn't seem to have heard as he dashed down the rural road with the girl from the modern times hanging tightly to his back.

" At least tell us where we are going, Inuyasha," Kagome managed to say while she clung on desperately to the hanyou.

" I don't know! Wherever Kikyou is going!" Inuyasha yelled as he busied himself with following the faint scent of his beloved in the air. Soon, they came upon a completely ruined village, splintered wood lying on the ground, feeding the endless fires that glowed as red as the blood on the ground seeping out of the countless corpses. The faint scent of the miko who had once been there was overpowered by that of bloodshed and jyaki, causing Inuyasha to walk around confusedly in search of the guardian of the Shikon Jewel. However, Kagome's soul gave a sudden pulse as a fragment of the Tama appeared from above.

" How could you, hanyou?" a voice rang in the air. The figure was dressed in black, plated with pink armor and armed with a giant boomerang as well as a brandished katana hanging from her belt. She was riding on a ferocious neko youkai, flying swiftly through the air with flames on its paws that illuminated the near distance. Kagome could see a Shikon fragment buried on her back, just where fresh blood seeped out of her wounds. Without warning, she shot the boomerang as the hanyou, who dodged quickly to the side, out of the way of the weapon that swept back to the female taijiya. Just when Inuyasha was about to unsheathe the Tetsusaiga, the girl of the modern times called to him.

" Please don't harm her, Inuyasha! She is already wounded!"

Reluctantly, the hanyou's hands left the hilt of his weapon as he leapt away from the incoming hiraikotsu. The taijiya landed on the ground to catch her weapon, and she ran towards the hanyou, swinging the boomerang like an oversized hammer. Inuyasha hardly had enough time to move to the side as her movements quickened, forcing him to catch the hiraikotsu with his bare hands. The impact caused him to grit his teeth in pain.

" Who the fuck are you? Why are you attacking me?" Inuyasha yelled.

" Don't play innocent, temee, I'll not forgive you for taking the lives of my villagers!" the taijiya yelled as she swung the hiraikotsu out of Inuyasha's grasp and hit the hanyou on the chest with it.

" Please stop!" Kagome shouted as she ran towards the hanyou, "he really didn't kill the villagers! We just arrived!"

" I don't know what tricks did that hanyou played on you, but if you don't get out of my way, I would take you to hell along with that monster!"

* * *

Kikyou was riding on the enlarged shinidamachu once again, flying at the top of the forest canopies with great velocity towards the taijiya village. The presence of the Shikon shards were growing stronger and stronger as she approached, and soon, she could make out the silver haired figure in red fighting with the taijiya daughter.

The miko could see the oddly clothed girl who bore her resemblances shield the hanyou with her body, but the taijiya threw her aside and raised the hiraikotsu for the kill.

* * *

Kagome could not believe the intense glow of violet energy that soared down from the skies and struck the bone boomerang at the last second, blasting off a good chunk of it before it could touch the hanyou's flesh. Sango diverted her gaze towards the source of the arrow and found the least likely person she had expected to appear.

" Why, Kikyou-sama?" Sango asked.

" He's not the one who did this to the taijiya!" Kikyou explained, an arrow still fitted tightly on the bow.

" Then why would he be here? Why would he be wounded? There is no second explanation!" Sango shouted in heartbreak while she drew the katana from her belt and held it into the skies for the killing slash. At that moment, Kikyou released her grip on the arrow and let it sailed to Sango's back, chipping off the Shikon shard cleanly from her flesh, causing the taijiya to lose all her strength and fall limply towards the ground.

* * *

As Miroku, Shippou and Kagome busied themselves with burying the dead in the taijiya village, Kikyou tended to the unconscious taijiya, and the hanyou who had been hurt by his half brother just a while ago. Inuyasha wished to talk to his beloved, by Kikyou wasn't willing to listen and insisted that he should rest first before doing anything else, forcing the hanyou to lie obediently on his back. When night came, the others came into the hut where the miko was, and built a fire to cook the food that the girl from the modern times called as instant noodles. With the delicious aromas that flooded the air within the cottage, the taijiya's senses slowing recovered, and she found her heavy eyelids finally parting to allow her to see the miko sitting next to her with a wet cloth in her hands.

" You've awakened, Sango-san," Kikyou said in a soothing tone.

" Why are you on his side?" Sango asked, trying her best to hold back her anger.

" I think it's time that I tell you who is Naraku," Kikyou said. Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, and Miroku all turned to her comment.

" Do you remember Lord Kagewaki, Sango?" Kikyou asked. Sango nodded as she remembered the malicious lord who had called the miko to his castle.

" During my encounter with him, I sensed that he was a hanyou, but his aura was quite different from Inuyasha's. Whereas Inuyasha's aura contained a distinct youkai half and its human counterpart, Kagewaki's was a mix of many different sorts of youki anchored on a human soul which I recognized as that of Onigumo, the injured bandit who I had cared for fifty years ago," Kikyou said.

" So you're saying this joining of many youkai with the soul of Onigumo created the shape-shifting youkai Naraku?" Miroku asked.

" Yes. That would explain why Inuyasha and my accounts of what happened fifty years ago was different. Naraku had took the form of Inuyasha to attack me, then used my form to attack Inuyasha, therefore setting me to kill Inuyasha with my own hands," Kikyou explained.

" But what does this have to do with the taijiya?" asked Kagome.

" At the castle, Onigumo would have tainted me if not for the taijiya who came to my rescue. That would be enough to remind him that he needed to get rid of them. He merely controlled the lord of the castle and called forth the best of the taijiya in order for him to kill all of the others at the village with his demons. Meanwhile, he gave Inuyasha's brother a human arm with a Shikon shard in hopes that he would kill Inuyasha, but if that didn't succeed, he knew that I would be lured to the site by the presence of the Shikon shard, and that I would probably sense the jyaki at the taijiya village, leading Inuyasha there as well. All that he had left to do was to deceive Sango into thinking that Inuyasha killed the taijiya, and then without using his hands, he would be able to get rid of at least one of them."

" But where is the evidence that he is not the one who killed the taijiya!" Sango yelled, pointing at Inuyasha.

" Inuyasha was fighting with his brother at that time. Inuyasha's friends and myself had witnessed it," Kikyou answered.

" Then I must get that Naraku before he gets away..." Sango said, trying to get up, but Kikyou placed a hand on her shoulders.

" Please rest, Sango. I'll take care of him," Kikyou said and swept up her bow and quiver before she made her way towards the door.

" Where do you think you are going, Kikyou!" Inuyasha yelled.

The miko's eyes widened as she felt the hanyou fling his arms around her in a desperate embrace.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Hope you liked that chapter! More Inu/Kik goodness coming next chapter, so please be on a lookout for it! Anyway, please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you have read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: Inuyasha and Kikyou have a little talk, and what are the outcomes? You'll see! 


	28. Reunion

Motoko Aoyama: THANKS SO MUCH, EVERYONE! I can't help but scream out my gratitude for you people's support because your every comment means so much to me, and because of all you wonderful people out there, I have the fuel to write more Kikyou-centric and Inu/Kik stuff! Let's continue loving our dear miko and never fall because of stupid flamers! YAY! Okay, now let me thank each of you because everyone matters!

**SkyMaiden – **Thank you for your support! You are such a great writer with great ideas and everything! I've read "To you I will return" and "Married to the mob" and I really loved them! I hope you'll update "Married to the mob" because you haven't for quite a long time...and I love it so much...and...Next time, I'll be sure to drop by a review, okay? Thanks again!

**HinaGuy749 – **Is it just me or has it been a while since I've seen you around? Anyway, I'm so glad to be seeing you again, and not to say the least in the Inuyasha section too! I really want to thank you for reading my story and hope you'll continue to like it!

**Zero-Nightmare – **You still didn't update! (complains and whines). Oh well, I can totally understand tight schedules and everything, so just write at your own pace and I'll be waiting for your stories! Thanks for your continual support and hope you'll like the Inu/Kik coming up!

**Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura – **Thanks for liking the chapter! Hope you'll continue drawing because they are so good, and next time make Jaken fall off a cliff, haha! Thanks for your review!

**Bestofbothworlds – **I'm sorry about the short chapter, but this story is sort of relaxed so it's usually around 1000 words chapters but with updates each week. Hope the updating speed makes up for the shortness of the installations! Thanks for your support and I'll continue to try my best to write!

**SassyRecombinantpassions – **Thanks for your review!

**Yadontknow – **Thanks for reading!

**Mikokikyo2 – **The shrines are okay now! (dances) Anyway, thanks for reading! When I've time I'll go check out your fics and drop by a review!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Heya again! Thanks for reading!

**Sephynarutocloud – **Sorry about the occness of Sango. Hope she'll be more IC later on!

**Forlorn Maiden – **Yup, Kikyou will be traveling with the group! Hope you'll like this addition! As for the Japanese dictionary thing, I didn't them for the earlier chapters and I thought everyone seems to know the stuff that I used, but if you think it is still necessary, I'll add that in starting from this chapter! Thanks for your suggestion!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**Nothing Much – **I know! Battle Armour Kikyou is just too cool! Ok, I'm fine now (too much excitement, heh). Thanks again for your support and hope to see you around in this chapter too!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha because if I did, Kikyou won't be dead, and she would be the main character, and all those Kikyou-Haters probably won't even exist, let alone be flaming Kikyou-lovers, lol!

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 27

Kikyou couldn't believe what was happening. There she stood, dazed by the situation, at the doorway that led out of the cabin, with the silver haired hanyou behind her, wrapping his strong arms around the miko in a death grip. She could hardly breathe due to the tight embrace, but the hanyou's action was enough to make her forget her need to inhale.

" What...what are you doing, Inuyasha?" Kikyou stuttered.

" I'm not going to let you leave," Inuyasha replied in a gentle tone, his warm breath caressing the miko's soft skin.

Kikyou turned away from the hanyou, looking at his companions who stared at the couple, their faces obviously awestricken, especially the girl whose soul was alike to the miko herself, because upon the miko's gaze, her face grew slightly crimson and turned away instantly. Kikyou could tell that the oddly dressed girl held a deep affection for the hanyou, so deep that she was willing to shield him from the attack of the taijiya just earlier that day, and it was enough to cause the miko to make up her decision.

" I'm not needed here. Let me go!" Kikyou yelled, flinging the hanyou's arms of her hakui.

" What do you mean you are not needed here? You can sense the Shikon jewel, you can shoot arrows, you can...forget it! I'm the one who needs you, do you understand?" Inuyasha yelled louder, trying to use his volume to defeat the miko in the debate.

" I see that Kagome's soul is like mine. She has all the powers that I have, and one more attribute that I had failed to show to you," Kikyou answered sadly.

" What is it?" Inuyasha asked with irritation.

" She trusts you, whereas I failed to do so in the past."

Inuyasha was at lost for words. As the stubborn hanyou he was, he was more skilled in killing demons than arguing with the clever miko, but just when he was about to continue the hopeless argument, Kagome stepped forward.

" So shouldn't you trust him a bit more now to make up for it?" Kagome asked, looking towards the ground with her bangs covering the sadness marked on her countenance.

" But..." Kikyou protested as she knew how hurt the young girl before her must be, but she was cut short as Kagome angrily yelled at the miko.

" You say I have all your powers, but it doesn't really help if I miss every single arrow I shoot! At least teach me how to help Inuyasha if you don't want to be the one doing it!" Kagome shouted. She was beyond frustration. Seeing the hanyou throw his arms around Kikyou, she knew that he loved the miko more than anyone else, and that his heart would never belong to her. However, she had decided that she would continue her affection towards Inuyasha, and seeing his heart being torn apart is the last thing she would want to experience.

Feeling the tension rise up between the two look-alikes, Miroku smiled nervously, thinking of a way to help. A mental light bulb suddenly turned on as he moved towards Kikyou, his cursed hand making a quick dodge at the miko's bottom. Kikyou's mind forgot about everything that was happening, and her feminine instincts took control of her hand as it slapped Miroku's face with godly momentum, leaving a giant mark on his fair skin. Before Kikyou could fully recover her composure, Miroku grabbed her hand and looked sincerely at her countenance.

" Please stay Kikyou-sama, and will you please bear my children too?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha growled and tore Miroku's hand off Kikyou's, making an attempt to catch the houshi in order to torture him, but the lecherous monk was not ready to be turned to meat paste at Inuyasha's Sankontessou, so the two began to chase each other around the chamber despite Inuyasha's injuries. The incident was enough to break the ice, and everyone soon broke out laughing, among them the miko and the girl who resembled her.

" I think I should go tend to Sango," Kikyou said as she made her way back to where the taijiya was lying.

" Yep. Only Inuyasha could be so energetic despite such injuries," Kagome commented. Kikyou turned her head towards the girl and the two's similar eyes met for an instant.

" She is such a kind girl. I'm sure one day, she'll find an Inuyasha of her own," Kikyou thought, blushing slightly when she realized that she had been thinking of Inuyasha as her love interest. Putting the thought towards the back of her mind, she continued to bandage the taijiya's wounds till the moon reached its peak in the darkness of the night.

* * *

It was pitch dark within the cabin, the cracks in the ceiling was the only source of light as they allowed some moonlight to seep in. Sango, after her wounds were covered with herbs and patched with cloth, had fallen asleep, along with Miroku, Shippou and Kagome. Inuyasha, with his eyes closed, sat near the doorway with his Tetsusaiga, using his hearing and sense of smell in order to detect the movements around the room. He pretended to sleep, but when Kikyou made her way towards the door, he leapt up and blocked the way.

" Where are you going?" he asked.

" I just wanted to walk around for a bit, you want to come with me?" Kikyou replied.

Inuyasha emitted a little "keh" before he followed Kikyou out of the cabin onto the dirt trail that ran down the now deserted taijiya village, following it as it led into the forest nearby. The trees were scarcely scattered about, allowing the starlit sky to show through its canopies and light up the grassy ground below. Fireflies flew in and out of the bushes and added their greenish glow to the luminescence of the woods. Kikyou took a seat on the forest floor, leaning on an old maple. Inuyasha eyed her for an instant before he turned away abruptly, hoping that she hadn't noticed his stare. Kikyou smiled in response, breaking the silence that they held for the duration of their walk.

" It has been a long time since we've watched the stars together, right Inuyasha?" Kikyou asked, her voice as gentle as it had been fifty years ago.

" Well...I guess..." Inuyasha muttered, not daring to turn towards her for fear that he would do something as embarrassing as blushing.

" Why don't you sit down? There aren't scorpions or anything on the ground," Kikyou pointed out. Inuyasha couldn't decide on what to do! If he refused, it would seem like he was scared of her or something, but if he did sit down...so close to her too...he would definitely lose his cool composure.

" Feh..." Inuyasha mumbled as he took a seat near the miko, trying to suppress his wildly beating heart. He turned his head as far away from Kikyou as he could as he found his face heating up quickly, definitely turning to a shade of deep crimson. For a moment, he wasn't aware that his hand was but a millimeter next to Kikyou's, so when his mind registered, he leapt away, and accidentally hit the tree.

" Are you alright?" Kikyou asked.

" Hell no!" Inuyasha yelled, angry at his own clumsiness. That was when their eyes met, for the first time that night, the amber gaze piercing into its mahogany counterpart. Kikyou remembered those wild golden pools from long ago, how they softened to the days the hanyou spent with her, until they lay peacefully on his fair countenance as if they had been tamed by the miko's powers. But on the day of the betrayal, just before the miko and hanyou fell into their supposed eternal slumber, those eyes were so sorrowful and pained. The same eyes lay before the miko as she gazed into the hanyou after those fifty years, the pain has yet to heal...it was all because of she that those eyes had turned this way...

" Gomen ne, Inuyasha. I should've trusted you a bit more," Kikyou said.

" Whatever..." Inuyasha muttered, his eyes softening slightly.

With a bit more time, those wounds would heal...under Kikyou's care.

* * *

**Tetsusaiga/Tessaiga – **The sword that Inuyasha carries. The spelling on the left is the Viz way and the spelling on the right is a common Japanese romanization of the word.

**Hakui – **The white top that Kikyou wears.

**Taijiya – **Demon Exterminators

**Houshi – **A respectful way of calling a Buddhist monk

**Gomen ne – **Japanese for "sorry"

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Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading, people! Please continue to support this fic by being so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying that you have read this! Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: Inuyasha wakes up and Kikyou is gone? But wait a sec, Kagome is gone too! What the hell is happening? And...the approach of Shikon shards and the scent of wolves...does that mean another familiar "Inuyasha" character is coming? Stay tuned for more installations of the Inu-tachi's new journey! 


	29. Afraid of Loss

Motoko Aoyama: I'm so sorry that I was late updating this time. Hope you would understand because it had been a really busy week for me, having to do all those First Aid and lifesaving courses that I took. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy the chapter I have cooked up for you guys and now let's just let me blab on a bit more to thank everyone properly!

**Okaru – **Don't worry! Lots more Inu/Kik are coming up, so just stay tuned and I think you'll like what is coming up! Anyway, thanks for your review and hope I can hear from you again in the future!

**CelestialGlowEquivalence – **I know! Kikyou should never have died! Stupid Naraku...I so want him to die! Okay, I'll stop now. Thanks for reading and hope you'll like the future installations of this story!

**SecretNight – **I agree! Inu/Kik forever! Banzai! Anyway, thanks for your reviews! Hope to see you again!

**Aclahayr – **I updated so please don't cry! I love Inu/Kik too so hopefully you'll like the later chapters of this story that are dedicated to them!

**Forlorn Maiden – **"Temee" is just a really rude way of calling somebody in Japanese. It is sort of like calling someone "bitch" in English. Anyway, I'll just continue to do the dictionary thing so hopefully it'll help!

**Bestofbothworlds – **Thanks for your encouragement. Hope you'll like this chapter too!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **Thanks for your review!

**Katherine – **Thanks for reading!

**TennyoAkana – **My penname comes from an anime called Love Hina. Motoko Aoyama is my all-time favourite character from that anime! As for the fic that you told me about, I've never read it before. When I have some time in my hands, I'll go take a look! Thanks for your review!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Hi again! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Kouga won't interrupt Inu/Kik...well, I mean Inu/Kik would be where I'm headed for, no serious interruptions will be allowed! Fair enough? Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing and considering me as your friend!

**Nothing Much – **Haha, so everyone guessed that he would be coming...aww, maybe I shouldn't have given such obvious hints! Anyway, you'll have to read to find out what happens! Thanks for reading and reviewing and hope to hear from you again!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for your review!

**SassyRecombinantpassions – **Thanks for reading!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha since if I did, Kikyou would be in every episode so that I can hear Hidaka Noriko's voice for 167 eps in a row!

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 28

Inuyasha awoke in the midst of the forest as the soft morning light shone through the sparse green canopies onto the clearing that he was sitting at. For a moment, he didn't recall why he was there, but later he remembered. He was talking to Kikyou that night, and then he dozed off, but there was something else that happened during his slumber that he didn't quite recollect...

" Wasn't I leaning on the tree? How did I end up lying on the grass?" Inuyasha muttered.

Then he remembered. When he was in the midst of his slumber, Kikyou had removed him from his uncomfortable position of leaning against the old tree, and allowed him to lie down with his head resting on her lap. In the past, they had spent many summer nights like that, after exhausting battles with the youkai who came after the jewel. On that field of long ago, their little safe haven from the dangers of the outside world, they would gaze at the stars and then let their fatigue overtake them. Inuyasha still remembered lying on his beloved's lap, sleeping soundly bathed in her scent. Does this mean that their old life would continue now from where it had left off fifty years ago?

Inuyasha gave a soft "keh" as if he was dismissing the thought, and then gave his long silver hair a little shake. However, his carefree mood suddenly turned off as he finally noticed...

Kikyou was gone.

* * *

Dashing through the woods and down the dirt path where his tracks from the previous night could still be made out, Inuyasha darted back to the cabin where he found Sango, Miroku and Shippou still sound asleep. Several bowls of ramen laid waiting beside the dying campfire, but otherwise, there was no trace of the miko or her look-alike.

" Yo, baka bouzu! Do you know where is Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked as he jolted the houshi out of his sleep.

" Heh? Kikyou? I don't think she came back. Weren't you with her?" Miroku answered, rubbing his eyes with his hands in order to wake himself up fully.

" How about Kagome? Is she with Kikyou?" Inuyasha demanded.

" Kagome is gone?" Miroku asked in return. It seemed that he was dreaming about girls when Kagome left the cabin.

Inuyasha released his grip on Miroku and dashed out of the cabin once again. Using his sharp sense of smell, he sniffed out the presence of the two girls and made his way to another part of the forest where the scent had led him.

* * *

From the lines of trees, the hanyou could make out the white hakui and red hakama of the miko, and beside her, the white, red and green uniform of the girl from the modern ages.

Just three more trees to go...

Two...

Right when Inuyasha was about to leap into the clearing, a horribly-shot arrow landed between his toes while he screamed in terror and jumped backwards to avoid being hit. Kagome and Kikyou walked over to where he was to see if Kagome's arrow had hit some innocent youngling, but when they saw Inuyasha sprawled on the ground, they couldn't help but chuckle at his helpless look.

" You were trying to kill me right? Were you? I knew you are plotting to kill me because I ate all your ramen or something like that!" Inuyasha yelled childishly at Kagome.

" Gomen ne, I didn't intend to hit you," Kagome defended.

" Oh yea right! That was totally aimed towards me!"

" I couldn't aim properly, that's the problem!"

" Oh, so you did intend to take my head with that one!"

" NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

" YEA THAT IS SO!"

" INUYASHA NO BAKA! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Kagome screamed, sending Inuyasha flying down to the ground and smashing the forest floor five times before he stopped, dirt soaring in the air where he had left a dent.

" I guess we should leave the commotion here..." Kikyou muttered as she sweatdropped. Helping the dazed Inuyasha up, the three of them went back to the cabin where they joined the others to eat the ramen that Kagome had prepared.

* * *

" Why the hell were you two out there anyway?" Inuyasha questioned as he finished his noodles and grabbed Shippou's to fulfill his stomach's request. Kagome quickly hit his hand with her chopsticks.

" Kikyou was teaching me how to shoot arrows. And Inuyasha, if you want seconds you have to ask. Don't just go taking other people's bowl," Kagome replied.

" What if I want to?"

" THEN DIE!"

**Bang**

Everyone chuckled a bit at the short dialogue between the hanyou and Kagome. They then finished their ramen as they devised a plan to be rid of Naraku.

" Since Naraku is collecting the Shikon shards as well, if we go after the shards we would meet him sooner or later," Miroku said.

" Then we should really hurry. I could sense several shards making its way towards us," Kikyou answered.

" Should we go meet those shards or should we wait here?" Sango asked.

" Of course we'll go meet them! Maybe go steal some food from any villages along the way!" Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome gave him a warning looking. Inuyasha glared back at the girl, earning another hit on his head by Kagome's chopsticks.

* * *

Meanwhile, a flash of black hair streaked down the forested hills not far from a village. It was a young youkai in a brownish pelt, wearing a gleaming dark armor atop his clothing. He was soaring down the hill at an amazing speed with his wolf comrades trailing far behind, yelling after him.

" Wait up, Kouga!"

* * *

**Ramen – **Japanese noodles. The kanji actually means "pulled noodles" because the dough is pulled out, then folded, then pulled out...until they become nice yellowish noodles! Sounds familiar? You've probably eaten this before, but to say the truth, I like soba a bit better!

**Baka – **This one is pretty simple. It means idiot. To say Inuyasha is an idiot, you say "Inuyasha no baka!" Pretty easy, right?

**Bouzu – **This is a rude way of calling a Buddhist monk. They sometimes call Miroku by that (as he deserves, haha)

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Motoko Aoyama: Not much vocab today, so hopefully I didn't make much mistakes explaining them. I'm not very good with Japanese so please, just bear with me. Anyway, thanks for reading and please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions or just a note saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated. Next Up: Sesshoumaru is in town? Injured too? And a tribe of wolves are preparing for a raid as well? Guess what will happen when our new Inu-tachi reaches the village! 


	30. Clashes in the Village

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks very much for all your reviews! Your comments really fueled me up to write another chapter of this story! Thank you very, very much! Anyway, I've been starting a MSN group called "Motoko's Anime Page" and currently it has some anime info, ratings, galleries, and a section for "A Different Journey" and "Fukai Mori" so please, please take a look and please, please join. I'm looking for assistant managers because there is so much stuff to do, and I only have a pair of hands. Also, I want to start an Inuyasha RPG so if you are interested, please join it! The URL for the group is on my profile page. It'll be fun with all you people there! Thanks!

**Cold Kikyo – **Thanks for reading!

**KikyouxInuyasha – **Thank you so, so much for your review!

**Mikokikyo2 – **Thanks for your support! Good luck in school!

**Okaru – **Thanks for coming back! I love hearing from you! Thanks for your support!

**CelestialGlowEquivalence – **Thanks so much for all your reviews! And you even took the time to give me such a wonderful idea too! Thanks very, very much! You'll be seeing Rin in this chapter, and I think you'll be seeing Kagura in around 10 to 20 chapters. As for the Shichinintai, they would come after the Tsubaki arc and Muso arc, so probably it'll be within 100 chapters. Thank you once again! Hope to hear from you again in the future!

**Nothing Much – **Sorry the chapter was so slow, and this one isn't really exciting either, but I promise more fun in the next chapter! Thanks for your continual support! It is greatly appreciated!

**xxlilvietgurlxx – **I thought ramen was Japanese, maybe I'm wrong...hmm...oh well, at lease I explained what is ramen, haha! Anyway, sorry about the short chapter last time, hope this one has a bit more to offer!

**Kikyou-sama – **Actually, this is an Inu/Kik but there will definitely be some Kouga/Kik interaction. Thanks for your review!

**Zero-Nightmare – **Thanks for keeping a look for my updates! I checked out your story already and it is seriously getting better and better! Thanks for writing for all of us Inuyasha fans!

**Aclahayr – **Thanks for your support!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, because if I did, this would be called canon, not fanfic...

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 29

Sesshoumaru was hurt. He laid in the forest near a village to nurse his wounds from the Kaze no Kizu, but despite the fact that he thought nobody would go there, a little girl emerged from the trees into the clearing where he rested.

The taiyoukai growled at the girl, causing her to jump backwards, the food she carried with her shaking precariously in her grasp. Satisfied, Sesshoumaru calmed and went back to his slumber, but the girl didn't give up that easily. She stepped forth once again while the taiyoukai opened his eyes, which turned to a deadly red colour. The girl hurriedly dumped the food down beside the youkai lord and jumped backwards, watching him from behind some trees.

" I don't eat human food. Go away," Sesshoumaru coldly remarked.

The girl stood where she was, continuing to gaze at him.

" Don't you understand that you are meddling needlessly? Go back home you pathetic human!" Sesshoumaru commanded with a forceful tone.

The girl still stood there, not moving, simply gazing at the wounded taiyoukai.

" What's your name, human?" Sesshoumaru asked in a softer voice, his cold heart slightly touched by the girl's sincerity.

The girl stepped forward and smiled. Only then did Sesshoumaru take a clear look at her countenance. She bore a happy expression, one eye closed, one eye opened, despite the scars on her face that was probably caused by the villager's beating that she suffered. Sesshoumaru could see that a few of her teeth were missing from the way she smiled, but despite his little curiosity towards the girl, he turned and looked away from her.

" I don't want to see you," Sesshoumaru said, brushing away the food that lay beside him. The girl looked at him sadly, and then headed back from where she had came from.

* * *

Inuyasha and Miroku hurried down the path towards the nearby village while the three girls and Shippou rode atop of enlarged Kirara, soaring above the two men. As the small clump of huts came into view, Inuyasha gave a few more glares at Kagome before he dashed in front of everyone towards the village ahead. Since the Inu-tachi made a very good pace in pursuit of the Shikon shard, the village was still calm and peaceful when they arrived. Kikyou and Kagome predicted that the youkai with the shards shouldn't come until late afternoon, so they took their time walking around. Miroku set off on his journey to seduce the village girls while Inuyasha went to the small restaurant on the edge of the village, eating a bunch of food despite the fact that he had no money in his hakui. The three girls and the kitsune looked around, talking, and planning on how and when to evacuate the village people, but soon an old lady who came chasing after the hanyou disturbed their trek.

" Hey! Stop right there! You didn't pay yet!" the lady yelled.

" Not as if your crappy human food is worth anything!" Inuyasha yelled back, running down the village streets. Kikyou went to the old lady and paid for Inuyasha's food with what little money she had left from exterminating demons along her journey. With that, they continued their walk while Kagome dragged Inuyasha by the ear to stop him from making more trouble.

" Since Sango still need some time for her wounds to heal, I think Kirara, Shippou and I should stay back with her to protect the village while Inuyasha, Miroku and Kikyou go ahead to exterminate the demon with the shards," Kagome said.

" Why should I listen to you, baka?" Inuyasha asked in a challenging way.

" Because otherwise you would d..." Kagome threatened with the magic word, causing Inuyasha to hide behind Kikyou.

" Well, Kagome has a point here. Let's just listen to her," Kikyou said. Inuyasha was about to argue, but he gave a "feh" as a reply and then headed off to find Miroku.

* * *

Of course, the hanyou found the lecherous houshi amongst a group of young women, reading their palms and asking for them to bear his children. Inuyasha ears twitched with annoyance as the veins in his head popped out due to the frustration of waiting for the monk. When the monk continued to ignore his presence for a longer moment, he knocked him hard in the head, creating a big, red lump that rose up from the injury.

" We're going after that shard demon, you bouzu. Tell those humans to stay back and we'll go off with Kikyou to find them," Inuyasha commanded. Afraid of the hanyou, the villagers stepped back instantly.

" Look what you've done! You scared the girls away!" Miroku snapped. Inuyasha ignored the monk and headed towards where Kikyou had walked off, causing the houshi to follow angrily without much of a choice.

* * *

The peaceful village's atmosphere had changed as Sango and Kagome had started to evacuate the people into a field on the outskirts of the village while the hanyou, houshi, and miko went off to meet the invading youkai. From afar came the howls of the wolves, accompanied by thundering steps and whirls of dust.

" Are we going to be safe, taijiya-san?" a villager asked.

" We'll all be fine," Sango reassured.

" But what about Rin? This morning, she went off into the forests again!" the villager said.

Sango looked at Kagome, and Kagome looked back at her. A villager, possibly an innocent, defenseless little girl, was left in the forests in which the wolves would rampage in no time.

" I'll go get her," Kagome said, sweeping up her bow and arrows as she headed off before Sango could say a word. All she could hope for was that her short archery lesson that morning would save Rin's life, and her own...

* * *

From afar, Kouga could see that the villagers were no longer in the village, but instead were gathered in the fields a short distance away. Knowing that they were prepared for the siege, Kouga extracted a Shikon shard from his arm and handed it to one of his comrades.

" I can hear people coming this way. Take that, Ginta, and kick their asses while I head towards the other villagers from the forest route," Kouga said.

* * *

Kikyou stopped in her tracks for an instant, feeling a change of direction in two of the shards, but one of them remained in its previous position.

" The youkai had divided up, two shards had headed down to the forest and is likely going to attack the village people from there, but another is still in its previous position," Kikyou noted.

" Sango, Kagome and that foxwould take care of that brat. We're going for the one we had came out to find," Inuyasha answered.

" Very well. The jyaki ain't that strong anyway. I'm sure Sango could take care of that youkai," Miroku replied.

The three headed off, knowing little that Kagome was going towards the forest...

Alone...

* * *

**Inu-tachi – **Inuyasha's group. In this fic, that will refer to Inuyasha, Kikyou, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, and occasionally Myouga.

**Kitsune – **Fox. I use this to substitute for Shippou's name at times.

**Ginta – **One of the wolf clan members who would later survive Kagura's slaughter (refer to season 2 for details)

**Jyaki – **A demonic aura. That's the best I can do to translate the term. It is sometimes used interchangeably with youki. This is different from shouki, which refers to the miasma that is emitted.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked the chapter! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you have read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated. Also, please take a look at my MSN group "Motoko's Anime Page" The link to the page can be found on my profile page. Thanks very much! Hope to see you on my group! 


	31. Wolves Attack!

Motoko Aoyama: I'm so sorry for the late update! I was having a writer's block so whatever I did get down sounded like trash so I've decided to wait a while before I attempt writing again! Hopefully this chapter would be semi-decent enough that you people would like it. Another thing I would like to apologize about is that I would be unable to reply each review due to a new policy of this site. I'll put the replies on my MSN group instead. Sorry for the inconvenience. I would like to thank Okaru, atlantis-rob, SkyMaiden, Nothing Much, Alouete, TennyoAkana, Kikyou-sama, Zero-Nightmare, xxlilvietgurlxx, Elena, mikokikyo2, CelestialGlowEquivalence, Cold Kikyo, and KikyouxInuyasha for their generous reviews last time. To Elena, rest assured that this is not going to be Sesshoumaru/Kagome. I don't like that pairing very much myself. As to CelestialGlowEquivalence, I'm not quite sure exactly how many chapters I'm going to make this. I won't be surprised if this ends up more than 100 chapters since I'll be twisting around the canon plotline for the most part, and everyone knows that the stupid manga is still not done yet. Sesshoumaru does have his Tenseiga now, so yea...you'll see what happens! Oh, and yes, Kikyou is staying with the gang from now on, yay!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, because if I did I would've finished the manga a long time ago instead of dragging it along like this!

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 30

" Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken called as he came towards the forest from which Sesshoumaru was treading out. The taiyoukai narrowed his eyes as he approached his retainer.

" We're going," Sesshoumaru merely said as he stepped over the toad, completely unaware of Jaken's concern towards his wounds.

" Sesshoumaru-sama! How could you! I was so worried about you that I searched for days and nights without sleeping and now that I've found you, you just ignored me and stepped all over me!" Jaken yelled. Sesshoumaru gave him a warning glare and he was quickly on his knees, whamming his head on the ground in hopes that the taiyoukai would spare his life. Sesshoumaru secretly savoured the sight of the coward toad's actions as he walked further away from the forest. He stopped abruptly to pick up a handful of stones.

" Have you forgiven me, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked.

Sesshoumaru threw a stone at his head in reply.

" Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Another stone.

" You're gonna kill me!"

A rain of stones came crashing onto his head.

However, Sesshoumaru suddenly stopped his stone-throwing antic and diverted his attention to the smell of the wind. There was blood in the air, and its scent is too familiar to bring comfort.

The taiyoukai turned back towards the forest, leaving the toad to ponder about his actions as he hurriedly followed behind his master's steps.

* * *

" Rin-chan! Rin-chan!" Kagome called as she walked in the forests, holding an arrow to her bow as she proceeded cautiously. The smell of fresh blood was so strong that even the girl from the modern days could catch its horrid scent, but she treaded on, hoping against all odds. However, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she sensed two Shikon shards nearing at an incredible speed and soon she could see the faint outline of a tornado in the distance.

" Youkai!" Kagome cried, steadying her bow and arrow as quick as possible. She drew the bowstring so tight that the bow creaked at the tension, and then released the arrow with a streak of violet as Kikyou had taught her earlier. However, her aim was still off as the arrow landed short of the tornado. All she could do was to scream as the tornado crashed towards her, missing her only by a hand's reach.

" Yo, strange miko," the wolf youkai spoke. There was a hint of arrogance in his voice.

Kagome suppressed her urge to scream and run, for she knew it wouldn't do the slightest bit of good, except for allowing the youkai to think of how weak humans are. Instead, the girl drew another arrow to her bow and aimed it as best as she can as the wolf's head.

" What do you want, youkai," Kagome snapped.

" I have a name okay! It's Kouga, and I just came to feed my wolves. However, as you are quite a pretty girl, and a powerful one not to say the least, I might be able to spare your life," he said with a wink. Kagome was flattered by his compliments, but nevertheless, she held her angry expression and drew her arrow farther back.

" What do you think you are, wolf, killing people and stealing other's property. You are merely depending on the power of the Shikon shards. I bet you can't run half as fast if you don't have those fragments on your legs," Kagome taunted. Kouga was surprised to hear that the young miko could sense the Shikon shards. If she were to be on his side, he was sure that he would be able to collect many more shards, and be able to defeat the Birds of Paradise.

" I don't care whether or not this is what you call true strength or not! You are coming with me and that's that!" Kouga called as he swept up Kagome in such a quick move that she couldn't react at all except for dropping her bow and arrows in a startled way. Kouga told the others to go feed on the villagers as he ran down the way back to the mountains despite Kagome's complaints. The girl of the modern times knew that she couldn't do anything except for leaving a trail for Inuyasha and the others to follow her. Therefore, she drew a piece of fire flint from her pocket and pressed her hand on the sharp edge. As the pain started biting on her flesh, she could feel drops of blood flowing down her hand. The strong scent should be able to overpower the other scents nearby and make her trail more obvious for Inuyasha to follow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kikyou, Inuyasha, and Miroku had stopped as they felt the wolf with the Shikon shard walk towards them with a small band of his comrades following nearby. The wolf stepped up to them and crossed his arms arrogantly, glancing at Inuyasha with an annoyed expression.

" I'm Ginta of the Wolf Tribe. If you all value you life, get out of our way and..." he said, but Inuyasha didn't even wait for him to finish as he lashed out the Tetsusaiga.

" Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha yelled. The attack wasn't as glorious as the one he used on Sesshoumaru, since the weak youki of the wolves made the Kaze no Kizu much weaker than its former power. However, Ginta and his band was hardly able to dodge as they ran from the bright lightning, but despite escaping fatal injuries, they were trapped in the midst of falling boulders from the attack.

" Ouchie!" Ginta complained. Kikyou stepped up to him and took out the shard from his arm.

" We'll leave it at that. I could sense the other shards moving away from the area so it would be wiser for us to pursue them instead," Kikyou said. Inuyasha nodded as he followed Kikyou back towards the village. Miroku merely sighed.

" Once again, they did everything for me..." Miroku muttered.

* * *

Sango whammed her Hiraikotsu at another dozen of wolves, sending them bounding in all directions. Shippou threw a bunch of mushrooms at a baby one, making it turn around aimlessly in hopes of dodging until it crashed onto the ground from dizziness. Soon, the wolves were either killed or had ran away, and the taijiya could finally catch a breath from the battle.

" It's over. I wonder when Kagome-chan will come back," Sango spoke. Shippou nodded in agreement.

" At least they came back," Shippou said as he pointed at the incoming Inuyasha, Miroku and Kikyou.

" Where's Kagome?" Kikyou asked. After hearing that she had been gone for a long time, they all exchanged worried glances.

" Let's go look for her at the forest. I can still smell her scent from there," Inuyasha stated.

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Motoko Aoyama: Okay, finally done this chapter. Sorry for the lack of good action and fluff in this chapter. I'll try to do that later on, but this chapter is sort of needed in order to set up for what is to come. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you've read this. As I've said, replies for individual reviews would be posted on my MSN group so please go there to see them, and maybe join the group while you are at it! Thanks very much! Next Chapter: Will Sesshoumaru find the source of the familiar scent? Will it be good news or bad news? Also, what happened to Kagome? How will they plan their rescue, especially when the Birds of Paradise are involved? 


	32. Renewed Life

Motoko Aoyama: I'm so sorry for the extra late update! If you also read my Love Hina stories, you would know that I've been having a really bad case of writer's block and I haven't written anything until a few days ago. So, please, please forgive me. I do thank every one of you who stayed with me through these tough days, because without you all I wouldn't have been able to improve my English, as I wouldn't even have the incentive to write! Thanks very much for bearing with me. Hope you'll still enjoy this story after the long wait!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha otherwise I would be rich, right?

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 31

Sesshoumaru and Jaken ventured into the forest where the familiar scent had led them. It was a horrible scent, as it was mingled with the essence of blood that cast a thick stink in the air. Jaken walked as proudly as he could, reminding himself repetitively that the death of humans were none of his concern despite the fact that he shivered slightly under the conditions. Sesshoumaru kept his cold visage, but as he neared the scene of slaughter, he got a very bad feeling. It was that girl, and although he didn't value her life much, he would rather her be alive than dead.

When they rounded the corner, coming to a dark clearing that was shadowed by the great canopies, they saw red blood leaking into the soil from the disposed carcass of a girl. Her kimono was tainted crimson and drops of the liquid dripped down its length, forming a small river as it descended into the bushes surrounding the area. Even with her eyes closed, she bore a countenance of terror, with pale, lifeless skin that creased in the expression of fear. Her raven hair cascaded down her shoulders in a mess of black, no longer holding the sunshine that reflected off its smooth pools. Sesshoumaru was about to walk away, but remembering the girl's good intentions, her vivid smiles, he bent down and picked her up so that she rested on his knee.

The taiyoukai let his eyes rest on the girl's face a little longer before he drew a sword from his belt. Its cold hilt resting in his palms, Sesshoumaru felt the power of the Tenseiga drench into his single hand, letting him see the messengers of the dead who came to take the girl's soul away. Narrowing his eyes in a dangerous glare, he swept the Fang of Life above the girl's body, and those messengers vanished without a trace.

The child started to arise from the world of complete darkness. As her eyes saw the faint rays of the sun once more, the vision of the taiyoukai also came to her. She was staring wide-eyed at him, and he merely turned away, putting her on the ground again in a cold act. She smiled as the little toad chased after him, questioning why he had saved her. All she could think of was to follow, jumping after the two youkai happily. This was all she had in the world, those who had saved her.

* * *

Kagome lay on the dried grass that covered the tavern's ground. The fragrance of moist soil filled the air along with the smell of wolves, many, many, many of them. Not only could she smell them, she could see them! They were gathered around her in crowds, surveying her with utmost interest. Kouga came in and chased them away as he took a seat beside Kagome, only to make her even more uncomfortable.

" You can sense Shikon shards, huh?" Kouga asked. Kagome turned around and pouted, feeling too dignified to answer him.

" Hey, don't you have any manners? I'm asking you a question!" Kouga yelled.

" And you? You kidnapped me and now you are demanding me to answer your questions! How civilized is that?" Kagome retorted.

Kouga snorted, angry at being defied.

" So you are able to sense the Shikon shards, that's why you aren't answering me, right?" Kouga spoke, hoping to sound smart.

" And what about it? Not as if that has anything to do with you, stupid, smelly, retarded wolf weakling!" Kagome yelled.

Kouga was about to return with a sharp comment, or simply grab the girl by the green collar, but he thought better of it as he edged closer towards her, speaking softly to her ears so that his breath tickled Kagome's neck in the most disgusting manner, causing the girl to almost slap him in anger.

" I like your attitude. Just what I want as a mate," Kouga spoke.

Kagome was shocked, disgusted, angered...and experienced a mixture of all emotions except for happiness.

* * *

Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippou, Sango and Kikyou headed into a valley as they trailed Kagome's blood, but that scent was soon overwhelmed as they reached a barren of skeletons, not to mention the visual red path soon faded since Kagome's wound had probably stopped bleeding at that point.

" Can you trace her, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked. Inuyasha continued his sniffing of the ground, ignoring him completely, but everyone can guess by his frantic actions that he was making no progress at all.

" I can sense Shikon shards though, but some are north of us, some are east of us," Kikyou stated.

Everyone looked at her, puzzled at what she said. Inuyasha got up and walked towards the north, not caring about the others' intentions.

" Let's head this way," he ordered and walked onwards. Kikyou and Sango didn't say anything, while Shippou yelled at him for being bossy, and Miroku merely sighed at the situation.

* * *

What lay ahead was probably what they would never have expected. The rocky pinnacles that reached up to the skies oversaw an unfertile plain that was littered with the bones of wolves and stained scarlet from fresh battles. In the dark taverns that lined those peaks stood ferocious beasts with an upper, bluish humanoid body, attached to the lower half of a giant bird. A smile lighted up from the twisted face of the youkai, eyes open to show a malicious red glint. With a flap of its gigantic wings, the cave collapsed and boulders tumbled down in torrents to reveal the demon who was now free in midair. A new battle was about to begin!

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Motoko Aoyama: I know it is a short chapter, but really sorry, because I have to write my other fics too. I'll try to compensate with a quicker update, okay? Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, a note to say you've read this, or anything else that you deem appropriate, as long as it is not a flame. Rest assured that it will be greatly appreciated, because your every word is the fuel that propels me to continue writing! Once again, thanks for reading and staying with me for so long! Hope you liked the chapter! 


	33. Dead Ended Valley

Motoko Aoyama: I'm so sorry for the late update! I was going to update sooner, but stupid school got me caught in a life of horror and I didn't find any time to write! Sorry! Anyway, here is my list of people who I want to thank: Kikyofan-101, atlantis-rob, Nothing Much, DarkPriestessKikyo, bestofbothworlds, tha lil' angel, Laura25, Zero-Nightmare, Okaru, SkyMaiden, Cold Kikyo, CelestialGlowEquivalence, and SecretNight.

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Disclaimer: Come one...everyone knows that I don't own Inuyasha...

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 32

The past few days have been rather uneventful for Kagome. She was mostly in the den where the wolves rested, sleeping when she was tired, staring into the land outside when she was bored. At first, she tried to escape, but she had given up after knowing a bit more about the geography of the place she was in. They were on a plateau of some sort, mountains rising to surround the area like a perfect fortress. The only path out of the area was a narrow walkway between two mountains, but it was heavily guarded, day and night. She had attempted to find another way out, but she later found out that all the other cracks between the mountains were dead-ended paths, leading only to one thing...death.

Not only did she find out that escape was impossible, she also grew accustomed to the company of the wolves. They really weren't that bad after all. After she had come, Kouga had ceased to raid the villages for food, stating to the other demons that his "mate" didn't like it. The wolves were all very polite to her, and offered her water, fruits, and wild pig meat that they had hunted each day. In particular, Ginta and Hokkaku were the funniest of them all. They sleep during guard duties, get smacked by Kouga, and come to Kagome for help all the time. For some reason, Kagome had long thought of them as her friends.

And so, one day when Kagome was dozing off in the morning, Kouga sleeping soundly on the ground not too far away, Ginta and Hokkaku came running into the den, crying and screaming in fear.

" What are you two up to now...?" Kouga asked with a yawn. By that time, Kagome had already awakened.

" The...the...birds..." Ginta started.

" What birds?" Kagome asked.

Before Ginta or anyone else could answer, a bloodied guard stumbled into the den and collapsed by Kouga's feet. His last words were...

" Birds of Paradise..." he said.

Kouga got up to his feet and strapped his katana to his belt. He walked out of the cave, talking to Ginta and Hokkaku.

" You guys go wake up everyone. Tell them to get their weapons. We will fight those intruders, then invade the nest of the Birds of Paradise, understood?" Kouga asked, the reply "yes" ringing louder and clearer than ever.

Just when Kouga was about to leave, Kagome stood up and walked up to him.

" How would you find the birds with the Shikon shards if I'm not coming, Kouga-kun?" Kagome asked. Kouga smiled and happily allowed Kagome to follow him.

* * *

The battle was fierce in the dead-ended valley where the Birds of Paradise lived. The birds swept down at the wolves with great velocity, leaving little time for them to fight back as the enemy ate them in whole. Kouga was as swift as the wind, running on the rocky soils that were littered with blood and bones. He fought with a low flying bird youkai, leaping above its open mouth to slice off its blue humanoid head with his katana. Kagome had borrowed a bow and a quiver of arrows from the wolf clan, but her ineffective shooting wasn't a lot of help. It did cause some air-borne obstacles for the birds though, for that Ginta was glad because one of the enemies decided to leave him alone when a missed arrow nearly hit its head.

It was a very bad battle for the wolves though, because more and more wolves died while the birds seemed as fresh as ever. They were too fast with their wings, and could easily fly upwards to evade the attacks. The only way to defeat them was to find the boss with the Shikon shards, or if they had an expert archer to shoot them all down. It was hopeless though, for Kouga was too busy saving his comrades, and Kagome proved anything but expertise.

Just when a bird was about to dive down towards the hopeless Kagome, a blast of violet light soared towards it and blasted it into a million pieces. In a swift move, Kikyou was by Kagome's side, bow readied, arrows drawn.

" Don't shoot Inuyasha's toes again, Kagome," Kikyou joked as she released her arrows, which immediately struck down several of the youkai. Kagome tried to imitate, but the arrow swerved in a weird direction and nearly hit poor Shippou who was hiding behind a giant bird carcass. Sango's hiraikotsu was unleashed and sailed in a great arc in mid-air, cutting down a dozen at a time. Miroku finally got his show with his kazaana drawing the Shikon shardless birds into its void. Kagome couldn't help but amuse herself as she watched the lecherous monk in action. That hand of his really looked like a vacuum cleaner, a pretty good one not to say the least.

* * *

With the helpers killing off the bird youkai, Kouga finally had time to try and seek out the boss of the youkai. However, he could not smell its scent, being mingled with the rest of the bird youkai and tremendous amount of blood on the ground. Where was it? How come he couldn't see it?

" Yes, Kagome can see the shards!" Kouga thought.

Dashing up a pinnacle for better view, Kouga could spot out someone who looked like Kagome in the crowd, shooting violet arrows that struck down each enemy with perfect aim.

" It must be her," Kouga thought. He leapt down and pulled the girl up before she had time to even protest.

" What are you doing, youkai?" she said, eyes narrowed in a dangerous stare.

" Why do you keep on calling me youkai? I told you, I have a name, Kouga!"

" You did not tell me before," she merely said.

Kouga was annoyed, not knowing why she denied such obvious facts.

" Whatever. Anyway, why did you change in the middle of a battle? Weren't you wearing that weird outfit before?" Kouga asked.

" I never wear weird outfits. I'm a miko, and this is what I wear," the girl said.

She sounded nothing like Kagome.

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Motoko Aoyama: Sorry for the short chapter. Hopefully more stuff happened in this one, so please forgive me! I'll try to update sooner, but I'm not sure if I can do it. However, since winter vacation is coming in two weeks, chances are I'll have time to write then for sure. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions or just a note saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: Kikyou and Kouga have a rather interesting conversation while Inuyasha races to kill the boss of the Bird of Paradise to prove his strength in front of the young wolf. More action, more comedy, more fluff? Yup, it's coming! 


	34. The Final Shard

Motoko Aoyama: I'm really, really sorry for the super long wait. For those who are wondering about why I haven't updated in such a long time, that is because I've been mentally tortured by the school board with tests and homework, thus I had temporarily lost all of my inspirations. Here I am now, sticking my head out of the imaginary cell that has contained me, finally able to breathe the fresh air of freedom and reviving my choked brain so that I can write again. Hopefully, this chapter would meet with you wonderful readers' expectations. A million thanks goes to the wonderful reviewers of the last chapter: grace, Cethron, …, Nothing Much, kik lover, koinu no inuyasha, Soulanubious, LatyfeSurLeSora (if that person dares to flame, I'll make sure he/she will face the consequences. Thanks for the warning), Entei Artist (you'll see why Kagome is there despite Kikyou being alive in the later chapters, don't worry about it), Zero-Nightmare, moodygal (it's ok that you got the stories mixed up, hehe), SkyMaiden, Kikyofan-101 (not fluff between Kikyou and Kouga; it is Kik/Inu after all), CarvedWithDaggers, atlantis-rob, MikoKikyou2, DarkPriestessKikyo, SecretNight, and Cold Kikyo. Also, in compensation for my late update, I wrote a one-shot called "Burning" that features Kikyou's last thoughts as she is cremated. It is quite short and written in a much darker tone than this story, but hopefully you will like it!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha since I don't look like a multibillionaire to you, right? (Oh yeah…you can't see me, but that is besides the point)

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 33

"Who the hell are you?" Kouga finally asked when he realized his mistake. Kikyou stared at him with an annoyed expression.

"Shouldn't that be my question?" Kikyou asked as she narrowed her eyes to a dangerous glare that met the ookami's gaze.

"Well, at least I told you that my name is Kouga…sheesh," Kouga said in a softer tone, inwardly afraid of the cold demeanor of the miko he was carrying.

"It's Kikyou. Now would it please you to let me go?" Kikyou said in the same tone as before, clearly not affected by Kouga's change of attitude.

"If I let you go now, you'll fall and die!" Kouga yelled in a matter of fact manner. Kikyou looked downwards and saw that they were already several dozen feet above the ground, swiftly climbing a rocky pinnacle that marked the home of the bird youkai.

"I didn't mean for you to drop me. I mean to ask when you are going to return me to the ground in a safe manner." Kikyou replied. The ookami pondered for a second, his brow furrowing in a bizarre way before they went back to their normal, resting position.

"Since we are up here anyway, I might as well look for Kagome first," Kouga replied, stopping in his steps. The miko was not all that comfortable with being held in mid-air where all she could see of the people on the ground were mere specks of colour.

"Why do you want Kagome to come with you?" Kikyou asked, hoping that Kouga would change his mind about scanning from this height and return to the ground instead.

"I need to find the youkai with the shikon shards, isn't that obvious?" Kouga said. Kikyou sighed in what might have been relief or sheer exasperation while she tried to free her right hand to point to a higher peak not too far from them.

"If that's all you want to know, then just head over there already and stop looking for Kagome," Kikyou dully pointed out, almost rolling her eyes with impatience.

"What? You can see the shikon shards too?" Kouga asked, still staying at his place.

"For your information, ookami-san, I guarded it," Kikyou replied, inwardly wishing to whack the stupid wolf's head with her free hand if not for the overly uncomfortable height.

"Cool!" Kouga yelled, taking off suddenly so that Kikyou nearly flew out of his grasp from the inertia. The miko was far from satisfied with the ride.

* * *

"Help!" Hokkaku yelled as a low-flying bird chased after him. Kagome tried to shoot an arrow at the youkai but it flew off to her right and nearly hit poor Sango instead, so she just took out an arrow from the quiver and held it securely by the shaft.

"The hell with it! I'm just going to stab that ugly bird with this!" Kagome yelled, running after the bird like a kid chasing a chicken. She caught up to the chubby tail of the youkai and stabbed the violet arrow into its delicate hind flesh.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" It screamed as the purifying energy blasted its bottom apart, causing it to fall onto the ground an inch away from its prey.

"Serves you right, big butt!" Kagome said as she declared her victory. Hokkaku looked on in admiration for the…heroine?

Just when Kagome was off guard, a swift movement was detected from behind her. The girl screamed and threw herself to the ground, but a familiar cry sounded from the rear, causing her to turn in realization.

"Sankontessou!" Inuyasha yelled, slicing the oversized bird in a sweep of his claws. The remains blasted everywhere, including the butt that landed on Kagome's head.

"Thank me for saving you!" Inuyasha commanded as he landed beside the girl.

"Inuyasha…"Kagome began, angry fires flaring from around her, "DIE!"

**Bang **

When Kagome had finally dumped the bloody butt away from her head, and Inuyasha finally got up from his terrible body slam, the inu hanyou finally spoke.

"Where the hell is Kikyou?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you say something like sorry first?" Kagome retorted.

"Sheesh…you are so annoying!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Oh yeah? Then why come and rescue me?" Kagome asked in an equally angry manner.

"I just want you to tell me where Kikyou is, that's all!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Then go die!" Kagome yelled.

Another body slam shook the ground below.

* * *

"So it is here huh?" Kouga asked, rising up the tallest peak in the area in pursuit of the shikon shards. When he was near, the pinnacle shuddered and rocky boulders started falling towards them.

"Watch out!" Kikyou warned.

"Don't worry, I'm faster than the boulders!" Kouga stated confidently.

"I don't mean the rocks! I mean the youkai within the rock tower! It is coming out!" Kikyou shouted. Just before the stone peak blasted apart, revealing the gigantic monster, Kouga leapt away just in time and landed on a shorter pinnacle nearby.

"Stay here, miko. Just tell me where the shards are," Kouga commanded.

"One on either wing, another in its mouth," Kikyou said. Kouga nodded and skipped on several other rocky towers to pursue the quickly flying youkai. With a sweep of its horrific wings, a gust blew off entire outcroppings of stone to send them flying everywhere along the battlefield.

The young wolf swept his katana at the bird's wing, but it evaded just in time and snapped its teeth at its prey, biting into the ookami's pelt. Kouga brought his sword back with a forceful sweep and slammed the blade through the sharp teeth, freeing himself from their grasp. He clung onto the bird's mouth with his left hand, his right arm extended into the opening of the teeth that he had created by his forceful bash earlier, reaching in to seize the shikon fragment.

Kouga touched the cold jewel shard with his fingers, but when he tried to withdraw his arm out of the mouth once more, the creature bit into him with its good teeth, ripping out the shard in his right arm.

Just when the shard was about to fall down into the endless depths, it flew sideways, gliding along the tops of the pinnacles, and into the hands of the miko who stood nearby. Kikyou purified the shard easily and fitted it onto her arrow tip, notching the shaft onto her bent bow.

"Stay out of the way, Kouga," Kikyou said, releasing her grip on the arrow which soared quickly towards the bird's left wing, blasting the shikon shard out of its flesh before it could evade in time.

* * *

"Up there!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he saw the bright violet light blast through the wing of the bird youkai. Kikyou was standing a short distance away from the collision, several dozen feet above the ground, and fighting with her was a wolf youkai.

"Kouga is gonna win!" Hokkaku cheered along with Kagome as they stood watching beside Inuyasha. So that wolf is called Kouga, huh?

"As if I'd let a weakling like him beat that bird thing!" Inuyasha yelled, dashing off towards the wolf in their race to retrieve…

The final shard.

* * *

**Ookami** – wolf. I sometimes use this to substitute for Kouga's name.

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Motoko Aoyama: I was meaning to put the Inu/Kik fluff into this chapter but I guess I ran out of space for it since if I put that in, the chapter would become somewhat rushed. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, or just a note saying that you have read this. Anything is appreciated as long as they aren't flames. Also, I would like some feedback on which minor character pairings do you prefer to read about. So far, the story will be Inu/Kik and Mir/San, but other characters such as Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Kagome, Hojo, Kouga, Ayame, Shippou, Rin, Kohaku, etc. still don't have a pairing, so please tell me what you would like. How the story progresses may reflect your decisions! Next Chapter: Inuyasha is far from pleased by seeing Kouga with Kikyou, so as he races towards the final shard, would he cooperate with the wolf or would they fight amongst themselves?


	35. Race to Victory

Motoko Aoyama: Yay! I updated sooner this time! Thanks for the following reviewers from the last chapter: meirus, atlantis-rob, Cethron, grace, The Ever So Sarcastic MeowMeow66, Tragic Priestess, ContradictoryOrien, moodygal, Wonderbee31, Cold Kikyo, Zero-Nightmare, SecretNight and DarkPriestessKikyo! Before I post the following results from pairing suggestions, please let me say a few words about my new fic "The Cursed Seer." It is in the CCS category so if you are interested in reading it, please check my profile to read the summary. Thanks! Here are the pairing suggestions results:

Kouga/Ayame: 3

Shippou/Rin: 1

Kouga/Kagura: 1

Sesshoumaru/Kagura: 3

Kagome/Kouga: 1

Kohaku/Rin: 2

Shippou/Souten: 1

Kagome/Hojo: 1

As you can see from above, Kouga/Ayame, Sesshoumaru/Kagura and Kohaku/Rin are currently leading, but the Kagome pairings are still pretty much all over the board. Keep the suggestions coming, because nothing is settled just quite yet! Anyway, here is the next chapter!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha otherwise I won't be so concerned over the latest manga chapters. Kikyou, gambatte! You must live on!

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 34

The shikon shard that was previously on the left wing flew into the air with the blasted flesh, sailing into the distance along with the violet streak of what remained of the miko's arrow. Kikyou reached out her hand and summoned the two air-borne shards to her, turning them back to their pure glory. Just when she was going to fit the shards into another arrow to take the remaining shard out of the creature's right wing, a red blur shielded her vision from the youkai.

"Inuyasha?" Kikyou let out a small, surprised cry. The hanyou turned his head slightly to let out a grin at the stunned miko.

"I'll take care of the rest!" He said arrogantly. Kikyou gave him an irritated side-glance but she did return the arrow back into her quiver.

* * *

Kouga ignored the pain in his arm as he continued to reach for the shikon shard in the bird's mouth. Seizing it with much difficulty, he drew it out of the mouth when it opened upon screaming in the pain of having its left wing blown off. Putting the shard into his right arm which was injured by the bite, the ookami freed himself from the creature's mouth to climb towards its right wing while his arm healed fast under the powers of the sacred jewel fragment.

"One more to go!" Kouga said to himself as he climbed precariously towards the last shard, clinging desperately to the bird's feathers as it shook violently in hopes of throwing him off.

Just when the wolf was about to reach the fragment in the right wing, a silver-haired hanyou zipped in front of him and slammed a horrifyingly gigantic blade onto the creature as streaks of yellow light blasted out of the weapon.

"Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha screamed, demolishing the bird with his attack. The ookami was nearly caught up in the attack but just managed to evade in time to land on the crater of what remained of the pinnacle that once held the boss of the Birds of Paradise.

While the bird disintegrated in the midst of a terrifying last cry, Inuyasha expertly caught the last shard in his claws with a twisted smile that spread across his face while he glanced upon the ookami in a mocking manner. Injured by a dozen wounds and dirtied with dust and debris, Kouga stood before the unscathed inu hanyou with not a single shard more than what he had started with.

"How dare you take my shard?" Kouga muttered.

"I saved you life, Yasee Ookami. Be thankful!" Inuyasha retorted.

"I don't need your interruption, Inukkoro!" Kouga snapped in a louder tone.

"Oh yeah, Yasee Ookami?" Inuyasha questioned even louder.

"Yeah! Fuck off, Inukkoro!" Kouga shouted.

"As if you are one to say, Yasee Ookami!" Inuyasha screamed above the echoes of Kouga's voice.

"Erm…is there anything wrong here?" Miroku asked. Only then did the two rivals noticed that everyone was already on the crater, including the monk, taijiya, modern day girl, kitsune youkai, and a somewhat weird out miko.

"Nothing is wrong! Are you okay, Kikyou-chan?" Kouga asked as he held the miko's hand. She was indeed quite stunned when he attached the suffix of endearment to her name.

"I'm fine, Ookami-san," Kikyou said in a stern tone, refusing to use the wolf's name and stressing the suffix –san to make her point.

"Let go already, Yasee Ookami!" Inuyasha yelled, slashing the Tetsusaiga at the wolf who just pulled Kikyou into an embrace and leapt away in time to evade the blade.

"I shall leave now, but be informed that I will be truly honored by your presence at anytime. Farewell now, my future brides!" Kouga announced as he looked at Kagome and Kikyou. The girl of the modern ages let out a forced smile while the miko just sighed in relief that the half-lunatic was finally gone.

"Well, let's go!" Sango spoke in a lighter tone. They all agreed in content except for Inuyasha who was still angry at the wolf's actions.

* * *

That night, they had constructed a camp on a clearing in the forested lands beneath the mountain, staying within some proximity of a stream that cut through the woods so as to have fresh water for cooking as well as a guide to keep them from getting lost. On the way to the camp, Inuyasha had been rather grumpy, refusing to say anything to anyone and punishing the little fox when he stated the fact. Of course, he was slammed to the ground by Kagome's "Die, Inuyasha!" device once again, but it didn't take away his bad mood at all. As the campfire roared on to cook the fishes that Miroku had harpooned, Inuyasha was no where to be seen after having left the camp the moment they had set it up.

"What is wrong with that Inuyasha? My head still hurts from his knock!" Shippou whined.

"Don't you mind him. He'll come back once he smells the food is ready," Kagome said, stroking the kitsune to comfort him. In the mean time, Sango was rubbing her katana with a cloth to clean off the bloodstains on the blade.

"Seems like he has been in a tantrum since he met that wolf youkai," she said as she wiped the blade.

"Come to think of it, why didn't you kill him, Kikyou-sama?" Miroku asked.

"I didn't think it was necessary. His shards were quite pure," Kikyou stated.

"Besides, he isn't that bad of a youkai after all. Way better than Inuyasha actually," Kagome added.

"That's because he is a hanyou!" Shippou said, rubbing it in.

"That's not something nice to say, Shippou. Make sure you don't let Inuyasha hear that," Kikyou warned. The kitsune was silent as he filled his mouth with the cooked fish. Everybody helped themselves, leaving two fishes by the campfire: Kikyou's and Inuyasha's.

"I'll be back in a moment," Kikyou said as she got up, taking the two fishes with her. Everyone stared at her with bewildered gazes.

* * *

Inuyasha was sitting at the riverside, tossing rocks into the water to create ripples that expanded along the calm surface. When the ripples crisscrossed each other so that they became less distinct, Inuyasha became annoyed and threw whole handfuls of pebbles into the river to create masses of ripples. Still unsatisfied, he started throwing boulders into the stream, striking fishes that swam within.

"Zamiro, baka!" Inuyasha yelled triumphantly when he got a school of fish with a gigantic rock about half his size. At this point, the river was nearly blocked by his actions.

"Maybe that isn't such a good idea, Inuyasha," a voice spoke calmly behind him. It was Kikyou.

"Feh!" Inuyasha answered, going to the river to push the rock back to the shore. As he came out of the water, he shook himself dry like a dog and sat down on the sand with his arms held between his legs.

"Would it please you to eat this sacred food, great Inuyasha-sama?" Kikyou asked in a joking manner as she held the fish before the hanyou. Inuyasha gave another soft "feh" before grabbing it from the miko's hand and stuffing it into his mouth. The shrine maiden sat beside him, taking bites on her food as she gazed at the river that lay before her.

"I hate that wolf dude," Inuyasha commented between munches, clearly jealous about what the ookami had said.

"He isn't that bad," Kikyou replied, "just a bit slow…like you."

"How dare you compare me to that…that…incompetent thing!" Inuyasha yelled, his face flushed with anger.

"Are you by any chance jealous?" Kikyou asked, the comment stabbing into Inuyasha's dignity at the point that hurt the most. His face turned even more crimson from embarrassment, causing it to look like an apple.

"As if I'd be jealous about something as stupid as that…hmph…" Inuyasha commented, turning his head away from the miko.

"That's good. It would be nice to talk to him a bit more next time we meet. He is quite an interesting character," Kikyou replied.

"What the hell!" Inuyasha shouted.

"I thought you weren't jealous," Kikyou taunted.

"Sure...I was jealous…so? Got a problem with it?" Inuyasha snapped, pulling the miko into a tight embrace. The shrine maiden smiled once again, returning the favor as she wrapped her arms around the hanyou's red hakui.

"I don't have a problem with it. I'm just contented," Kikyou replied.

Kagome watched them from behind the trees, feeling her heart stop.

* * *

**Yasee Ookami** – weak wolf. This is usually how Inuyasha refers to Kouga.

**Inukkoro – **it literally means small dog, but then Kouga uses it as a derogatory name for Inuyasha.

**Zamiro – **a rude way of saying "you deserve it!" It would translate to something along the lines of "you fucking deserve it!"

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Motoko Aoyama: Okay, so there it is! Hope you like it! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism or comments or suggestions or just a note saying that you have read this. Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter: Kagome returns home with sadness as the gang proceeds on to find the next shard! What dangers will they face when they travel on the night of the new moon? 


	36. Birthday

Motoko Aoyama: So sorry for the late update! The last few weeks had been pretty hectic for me (those of you who know me would know all about it…) Right when I finished my final exams, I took this uber-long swimming course and I get home exhausted and everything. What's more is that the recent Inuyasha manga had left me quite upset. For those of you who follow the manga storyline, you would know that Kikyou has finally passed away. It is so sad. However, don't worry about it! In my fanfiction world, Kikyou will not die! So yea, just keep supporting this story and I'm sure I won't disappoint you! Thanks for breaking the review record of ADJ! You guys gave me 20 reviews last chapter! Thank you very much to all you readers and reviewers! Love you all! Special thanks to reviewers Vincent1875, kikyou22541, s0fetch, Nothing Much, raccu, cinderella101, Wonderbee31, atlantis-rob, ContradictoryOrien, Cerberus, Queen Aquamarine, miko2, moodygal, Kuroi Kaji, Cold Kikyo, Cethron, SecretNight, Zero-Nightmare, DarkPriestessKikyo and grace!

And lastly, before we start the new chapter, here are the suggestion results so far!

Kouga/Ayame: 5

Shippou/Rin: 1

Kouga/Kagura: 1

Sesshoumaru/Kagura: 5

Kagome/Kouga: 2

Kohaku/Rin: 5

Shippou/Souten: 2

Kagome/Hojo: 3

So Kouga/Ayame, Sesshoumaru/Kagura, and Kohaku/Rin are definitely taking the lead while Shippou/Souten is winning by one vote against Shippou/Rin and Kagome/Hojo is winning against Kagome/Kouga by one as well. Well, this story still has a long way to go, so keep the suggestions coming! I'm still very much open to your opinions!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha because if I did, Kikyou would not die! Umm…I think I've said that before…

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 35

Kagome felt a sour feeling in her chest. It seemed as though there was a knot within her. It wasn't a sharp pang of pain. It wasn't a bleeding wound. It was just a very harsh reality that she must live up to.

Running along the grassy plain of Sengoku Jidai Japan, Kagome screamed into the chilling wind to release the tension in her soul. It felt good to let her muscles burn, let the sweat pour down her face to wash away the ache. Her chest moved up and down in a sharp motion, filling her lungs, refreshing her senses.

"Inuyasha no baka!" Kagome yelled into the distance, scaring the birds away from their perches. The leaves rustled for a second, but peace soon restored. It almost seemed that Kagome's spirit was at ease too.

In front of the modern girl stood the well made of goshinboku branches. Looking to the side, she could see the tree on which Inuyasha had been sealed, the tree in front of which Kikyou had fainted years ago. No matter what, she could not, and should not, break that bond between the two. They shared too much that she would never come to share, lived through too many challenges that she would never come to live through.

"Maybe I should just go home," Kagome whispered. Taking one last look at the surroundings, she leapt into the well.

* * *

The moon was high and the stars shone brilliantly in the violet skies. A single campfire lighted the distance that surrounded a clearing in the woods, a campfire that roared on with nobody to guard its light. In the darkness nearby, firelight flickered from the torches that the Inu-tachi carried. They were looking for the girl with the strange uniform, but she was no where to be seen.

"Her scent isn't here anymore. I think she has gone home," Inuyasha said. Kikyou nodded in agreement.

"I could no longer feel the presence of her shikon shards. I think she has certainly passed through the boundary of time," Kikyou explained.

"I think we should just rest then since we should conserve our energy for our pursuit of the shikon shards tomorrow. Kirara can go back and wait at the well for Kagome-chan," Sango suggested.

"Agreed!" the houshi gratefully said, treading back to the campfire. He was more than contented to throw the torch into the flames and take his spot beside it where it was dry and warm. He was soon followed by Shippou, Sango and Kikyou, the two girls staying a certain distance away from the pervert.

Inuyasha leapt onto a high branch on a nearby tree, watching the moon above. It was but a narrow crescent that night, for the next night would be the night of the new moon…

* * *

"Onee-chan! You're back!"

"Brought any souvenirs?"

"Meow meow?"

Kagome could hear those voices echoing in her ears as she climbed out of the well back to her house. She was not in the mood of answering them. All she wanted was a nice shower. Yes, that's right. Tap water and electricity was nice.

Ignoring the inquiries she received from her grandpa, brother, and cat, she made her way back to the house and opened the door recklessly, not quite noticing her friends whom were gathered at the dining table. Briskly taking her pyjamas and towel, she went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her so hard that the house shook.

* * *

"What was that?" Yuka said, surprised at the sudden noise.

"Must be nee-chan on one of her angry streaks after going to sen…" Souta began, but was cut short when Kagome's mother stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth.

"He means that she is in one of her adolescent mood swings," Kagome's mother explained with a forced smile. Everyone sweatdropped.

* * *

Kagome enjoyed the warm steam engulf her as she lay at the bathtub, the water covering her body in a comforting manner. It had been so long since she gave her strained muscles a rest. Going home was good. It meant no more chasing demons and putting up with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha…why did it hurt so much to think of that name.

She bid herself to forget and turned her attention to the current date. In Sengoku Jidai, they didn't have digital displays on watches that told her the date, so she often forgot about it completely. Next time, she should definitely bring a watch with her.

Next time? Did she seriously think that she would go back?

She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts from her mind. She had had enough. It was time that she focused on her real life instead of thinking about things that could definitely wait.

So what date was it? Okay, the last time she left home was right after the final exams. Then at Sengoku Jidai, she met Shippou and the others at the Thunder Brother's place, and then they went on to return to that village where Inuyasha fought that freaky brother of his, and then they chased after Kikyou, met Sango at the taijiya village, and finally they all went to the Kouga's wolf den. That should've been about a month.

"Then it must be my birthday soon!" Kagome exclaimed, her voice being carried through the shouji doors into the dining room.

* * *

"Was that Kagome-chan?" Eri asked, bewildered.

"What did she mean by 'it must be my birthday soon' when it IS her birthday?" Ayumi added.

"That must be the television!" Kagome's mother explained, at least tried to. When they didn't believe her, she stuffed cake in their mouths too.

"But the television is playing kabuki," Hojo said, getting a mass of cake in return. Seeing the situation, grandpa conveniently switched the channel.

"I was switching around with the channels," grandpa said, twitching, "so when Kagome screamed, it wasn't playing kabuki."

He definitely got a big piece of cake for what he said.

* * *

Kagome hurriedly blew-dry her hair and rushed out in her pyjamas to stare at the calendar in the kitchen. It didn't really help, since she didn't even know what day of the week it was. She then ran into her grandpa's room where he kept an old fashioned calendar where you rip out a page for each passing date. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that the date was her birthday!

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAKE!" Kagome screamed as she ran into the dining room where everyone looked like Santa from the cake that her mother had dumped on their face. In response to her question, they pointed at the white mess on their countenance.

Kagome couldn't suppress it anymore. She laughed and cried all at once.

She could remember how Miroku always gave her the biggest fish, how Sango always let her sit in the shade for lunch, how Shippou always thanked her for candy, how Kikyou always protected her when they battled.

And Inuyasha, he was always by her side.

"Happy birthday, Kagome-chan!" Hojo said, wiping away the cream. She could imagine the statement coming out of Inuyasha's mouth, although she decided that he probably didn't know what a birthday was. He would probably go on and say what an idiot she was to celebrate her progress of becoming an old hag like Kaede.

At that moment, she decided that she would go back.

"Inuyasha no baka! But I like you and everyone else all the same!" Kagome yelled aloud.

No matter how much cake Kagome's mother stuffed in their mouths, they couldn't help but let their jaws drop.

* * *

"Achoo!" Inuyasha sneezed atop the branch he was sitting at.

"I didn't know dogs sneezed," Kikyou stated. He found her seated at the base of the tree.

"I'm not a dog," Inuyasha complained.

"Gomen. I forgot that you were a puppy."

And so, the night wore lazily away with the silver-haired hanyou throwing masses of leaves at his beloved.

* * *

Sengoku Jidai: Warring States Era

Onee-chan, Nee-chan: Elder sister

Yuka, Eri, Ayumi: Just in case you forgot, they are Kagome's friends

Shouji: type of doors used in traditional Japanese buildings

Kabuki: traditional Japanese drama

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Sorry for not making this longer. I had been really stressed out lately, so I don't want to go right into the next battle that quickly. I hope you enjoyed the light comedy with Kagome's family and friends, as well as that last bit with Inuyasha and Kikyou. I would've loved to write more about my favourite Inuyasha couple, but I guess it would be better to just leave it like that. Well, what did you think? Liked it, hated it? Please give me some feedback, constructive criticism, comments, questions, or even just a note saying you've read this. Anything other than flames or "Kikyou is dead so just shut up already!" are gladly accepted because your reviews are my motivation to write! Thanks for reading and have a great summer! 


	37. Arrow Scars

Motoko Aoyama: Once again, sorry for the long update. The past few months have been pretty hectic for me. Being a first year university student, I find myself lost half the time and extremely clueless about most things that are supposed to be "accessed online." Well, now that I have some time, I'll make a quick update! Oh, and if you are interested in my life and my insane story ideas, check out my xanga! You can find the link on my profile page! Anyway, thanks very much for your continual support, especially you reviewers! Special thanks to aya harushino, ftayao (I'll try to minimize plot holes, haha,) DeathofHell (long time no see!) Cerberus, Nothing Much, Hedwig, SecretNight, Zero-Nightmare, ReaderNotWriter313, moodygal, raccu, Wonderbee31, ContradictoryOrien, DarkPriestessKikyo, vincent1875, and Cold Kikyo. No one gave any pairings suggestion in the last update, so if you want to see which pairing is leading, then just refer to the last chapter's author's notes. Suggestions are still available!

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Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Inuyasha. I don't even read it anymore!

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 36

The moon was slim and seemed as though it was about to disappear into the violet blankets of the night sky as the half demon stared at it with his golden eyes, watching its light vanish and return as the clouds came and go in front of its glowing surface. He knew what it meant. The new moon was near.

As he sat at his perch atop the tree, he watched his silently sleeping companions underneath: the lecherous Miroku who edged closer and closer to the taijiya's bottom, the scowling Sango who seemed to be able to detect Miroku's hands even in her sleep, the drooling Shippou who was probably dreaming about some bizarre candy from the modern world, and Kikyou, the Kikyou who was the same Kikyou always.

He found it amazing to observe Kikyou. There was never a way to tell if the miko was really asleep, for she never showed signs of unconsciousness like the others. There was no snoring, no drooling, and no rolling from side to side. Like always, Kikyou leaned back on the tree, her legs bent slightly in front of her. Her left hand rested on her knees, the arm securely holding her bow in place at her shoulder, and her right was on the ground beside the quiver of arrows that lay quietly by her side.

"As serene as usual…" Inuyasha couldn't help but mutter. He could remember the first time they met, he atop of a tree as usual, she beneath with her hand clutching alertly to the wooden bow. The skies were even darker as the one Inuyasha currently gazed at, the moon nowhere to be seen.

They met like that, Kikyou's eyes gleaming dangerously in the starlight on that fateful rainy night of the new moon.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyou said, interrupting the hanyou in his thoughts. He turned his gaze downwards to meet the miko's eyes that had lost the dangerous glint from long ago.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha answered, "I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until you started staring at me…"

Inuyasha couldn't help but blush at the comment. Did Kikyou have eyes on the back of her head that remained open when she slept or something?

"Keh…"

"Thinking about the first time we met?"

Inuyasha blushed again. How come she could read into his mind anytime, anywhere, but never could he do the same?

"Right…" Inuyasha sarcastically said in denial although his face just turned a shade darker. He secretly thanked the darkness.

"Don't worry, we're all strong…" Kikyou added, ignoring Inuyasha's childish response. This prompted the silver-haired boy to stare at her for an explanation. She continued, "Besides, you are still strong in will as a human."

So she remembered…

"Feh…"

He used to hate the day of the month that was due to come, but with his bellflower by his side once again, he knew he could take on any challenge.

* * *

The sun's dim light could hardly penetrate the thick covers of gray clouds above, only managing to illuminate the atmosphere with an almost ominous glow. Raindrops kept falling from the heavens to form murky puddles on the forest floor, a continuous process that neither quickened nor slowed. Shippou held onto Miroku's wet robes, sneezing lightly as a chilling wind swept past his fur, while Sango and Kikyou walked beside them with the hanyou far ahead.

"I wish it would either rain nice and hard, or not rain at all," Miroku complained. Sango agreed with a nod at the same moment as she expertly swept Miroku's "cursed" hands away from her bottom.

"The shard is to our west, Inuyasha!" Kikyou yelled as they came to an intersection on the forest path. Inuyasha, who blindly walked on the wrong road, quickly dashed back and treaded speedily down the right path once again.

"He seems to be in a hurry…" Sango muttered. Knowing Inuyasha's intentions, Kikyou just smiled.

"That's fine! As long as I can get that Naraku sooner, I'm all up for it!" Miroku yelled.

"That's true…" Sango agreed. At that time, Miroku patted her butt and she slammed her hand into his face, "But agreeing with you on one point does not give you permission to touch…touch me!"

"Gomen…" Miroku muttered with his teeth barely staying in place.

* * *

Not long after, they came out of the forest and into a muddy clearing where Inuyasha paused in his tracks.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked as he poked his head out of Miroku's robes. He figured that staying within Miroku's clothes was better than clinging onto them.

"What the hell is this?"

The others joined him as they stared wide-eyed at the scene before them. Up ahead was a giant indent on the ground, about three meters deep, one in width at the beginning and barely a hair's breadth at the other end, which extended at least a hundred meters in length. On the far end, where the indent narrowed, was a pile of dust with fragments of torn fabric lying in the heap.

"Is it a sword?" Miroku asked, remembering Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu that had a similar effect. Kikyou bent down to inspect the bottom of the indent, noting how it rounded off like a river bed.

"Can't be, the bottom is too rounded to be a sword scar," Kikyou noted.

"Could've been the rain wearing off the sides," Sango suggested.

"Not likely. The bottom isn't filled up with rain yet. That means that this should've been quite recent," Kikyou answered.

"Then what do you think is it, Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked. Kikyou walked to the far end to inspect the narrower part of the scar, but seemed just as puzzled afterwards.

"I'm not sure. I was wondering if it could be an arrow scar due to the rounded bottom, but there is no arrow to be seen," Kikyou answered.

"Arrow scar? But isn't an arrow pointed like a sword?" Sango doubted.

"Yes, but the energy flow is different. In a sword, the energy flows along the blade, tracing its triangular pattern, thus making a narrower scar at the bottom than on the top. However, since arrows spin in their movement, the energy flows in a circular motion, thus making a scar with a rounded bottom," Miroku explained.

"But then, where's the arrow?" Shippou asked.

"Someone could've picked it up, Baka!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Actually, Shippou's right," Kikyou interrupted, "Although someone could've picked up the arrow, the far end of the arrow scar should have a narrow bottom that fits the shape of the arrow tip due to the depletion of the energy at that point, but this is not the case here."

"Well…what should we do?" Sango asked. Inuyasha crouched down to smell the ground with great effort before getting up and pointing to the distance.

"I think the scent came from over there."

"Isn't that…" Sango muttered.

"Yes. That's where the next shikon shard is located," Kikyou answered.

* * *

Inuyasha found himself getting tired as he leapt from stone to stone on the barrens that they currently stood, with the others tagging along at a speed that almost matched his own. The sun was probably at its peak despite that they could not see it behind the cloud layers, signaling the approach of noon.

"I gotta get there fast. I gotta finish him off before the sun sets…" Inuyasha thought as he tried to push off with greater force. It was exhausting, but he managed to dash a bit farther than his last stride.

"The nearing of night is already affecting him…" Kikyou thought as she saw Inuyasha's struggle. She turned her gaze back ahead and concentrated on maneuvering the shinidamachu she rode on.

* * *

"The shard is here!" Kikyou shouted, but before Inuyasha could hear, a blast of energy already landed on the spot that he was standing on a moment earlier, vaporizing the rocks as if they were made of paper.

"The hell?" Inuyasha muttered. Sango threw her hiraikotsu at the source of the energy blast, but it just collided with solid rock.

"Sango! Behind you!" Miroku yelled. It was too late. A gleam of black energy soared towards the defenseless Sango, giving Miroku no choice but to rip out his kazaana.

The black energy traveled into the void and made no return. Just when Miroku was going to seal the kazaana, a flash of white pain burnt his arm and he felt his muscles tear slightly, blood gushing out of the widened wind tunnel.

"It tore him from inside?" Kikyou muttered.

As Kikyou stared at the two, another black blur appeared from above and Inuyasha rushed to the miko's side, sweeping her up at the last minute to deliver her to safety a few feet away.

"Where the hell are those black stuff coming from?" Inuyasha asked. Kikyou closed her eyes to sense the shikon shard's presence.

"To our left!" Kikyou screamed as Inuyasha barely had time to move from his place while another black flash ripped the land below. Placing Kikyou down behind him, the hanyou ripped his sword out and screamed.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

The yellow light blasted away a rock face that concealed a black-clothed man with an ominous bow.

"Igami no ya," he muttered. When Inuyasha tried to deliver another strike, a black energy swerved in an arc towards Sango and Miroku, forcing him to retreat in their rescue.

When the dust cleared, the man was no longer in sight.

* * *

**Kaze no Kizu** – literally wind scar. Attack of Tetsusaiga (Tessaiga)

**Shinidamachu **– Dead soul insect. The white snake-like things that accompany Kikyou

**Kazaana **– Wind tunnel. Created by Naraku's curse on Miroku's grandfather

**Hiraikotsu** – Sango's bone boomerang

**Igami no ya** – Bending arrow. An attack I made up for that freaky bow…

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Finally done the chapter! Yeah, I know it isn't that long…but it is already better than my other chapters (pleads). Anyway, thanks for staying with me. Hope you liked that little pre-battle. It's been a long while since I picked up my keyboard to update my fics, so please be so kind as to give me a review, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames is gladly accepted. I really need your support to continue writing this! Anyway, thanks a lot for your support. Next Up: Kamikyuu! The battle under the moonless night will reveal the secret behind the mightiest bow! 


	38. Kamikyuu

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for staying with me, everyone. Yup! It has finally come to OC time, but don't worry, something will come of it! Well, let's go through the special thanks for last chapter's reviewers: kikyogirl15, Zero-Nightmare, raccu, Cerberus (yup, it's an OC. I'll be swaying a little from the original plot as the story goes on due to Kikyou's different fate), vincent1875, Christian (I'll keep the prayer beads' command to "die" because I'll have to do some major plot changes if I change it back to "osuwari" Sorry about that…), Cold Kikyo, Engelmohr2004, DarkPriestessKikyo (I'm assuming you are American, ne? Where I live, Thanksgiving has passed already…oops, that probably gave my nationality away, haha…but thanks for the greetings anyway!), Liandrid313, and iiheartyou. Here are the updated pairing suggestions:

Kouga/Ayame: 5

Shippou/Rin: 1

Kouga/Kagura: 1

Sesshoumaru/Kagura: 6

Kagome/Kouga: 3

Kohaku/Rin: 5

Shippou/Souten: 2

Kagome/Hojo: 3

Keep it coming, everybody!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha because I'm not rich.

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 37

Inuyasha moved awkwardly as the day wore on, and their progress slowed with the coming of night. However, Kikyou could feel that the shard wasn't far off, as if the mysterious archer was waiting for their arrival.

"Inuyasha, you seem to be getting tired…" Shippou exclaimed. Inuyasha flashed in front of him and whacked his head with the back of his fist.

"The fuck are you saying?"

"Inuyasha is a meanie! I was just…just…concerned about you…"

Inuyasha looked at the little fox and whacked his head again, this time a bit more lightly than the last hit.

"Baka, I can beat the fuck out of some human with a pathetic bow…"

Miroku and Sango looked at him as well with suspicion upon their faces. There was definitely something that he was hiding away from them.

* * *

They journeyed forth again. The terrain on their sides started to rise and they found themselves in a narrow path between towering cliffs on either side of them. 

"The shard is stationary! He is up ahead!" Kikyou called. They rushed forth, coming to a dead end in their path where the archer stood waiting, his bow bent in a tight arc with an arrow of black spiritual energy drawn upon the bowstring.

"I see that you bunch are chasing after me," the man spoke in an ominous tone. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"Something wrong with that?" Inuyasha taunted.

"No…no…nothing like that," the man replied with a laugh. Miroku tensed as he got the intuition that told him something bad was going to happen.

"Why did you remain in this place and not run off like before?" Miroku inquired.

"So you found out?"

He suddenly released the arrow, causing them to dodge for their lives. Surprisingly, it swerved above them and crashed into the rocks behind them, causing boulders to tumble down the cliffs to block the corridor's opening.

"You lured us here?" Kikyou spoke. The man's grotesque smile widened, showing a thirst for greater power than what he already held.

"Of course. Do you think you are the only ones who are after the shikon shards?"

Kikyou's hand reached up to touch the shards that lay coldly on the necklace that she wore. So there was really no telling who was the predator, who was the prey?

"The hell with it! If I beat the hell out of you, your shards will be ours!" Inuyasha yelled, whipping out his Tetsusaiga. Leaping in front of everyone, he lashed out a Kaze no Kizu that was intercepted by a blow of black. When the dust cleared, Miroku lashed out the kazaana, only to be forced to close the wind tunnel when a black arrow was shot. While they dodged, Sango managed to release her hiraikotsu, which did no harm at all when it got blown back at her with a sweep of black energy.

"Sango!" Miroku called, reaching her in time to carry her away from another blast. He threw some talismans at the demonic figure, but several consecutively shot black arrows blown all of them down at once.

"Multiple arrows!" Kikyou commented, trying to return fire. The man ducked expertly while continuing the shooting.

"That was the Fueru no ya," he replied, shooting half a dozen arrows at them again. Miroku, with Shippou hiding in his robes, managed to run at the last minute, but Sango was caught in the attack.

"Sango-san!" Kikyou cried, trying to go to her aid. However, Sango managed to block the energy with her hiraikotsu.

Sango didn't even move from her place. It seemed as though she had suddenly gotten stronger, or was it the arrows that got weaker?

Kikyou seemed to see something similar to Inuyasha. The two exchanged brief glances at each other and then rushed towards the archer. When many arrows shot at them again, Inuyasha cut through them easily with the Kaze no Kizu, opening a path for Kikyou to shoot before the enemy could draw the bowstring quickly enough to return fire. A streak of violet was released from the miko's bow, soaring forth to strike the archer who only managed to move to his side at the last moment; unable to completely evade the arrow that made a cut on his shoulder.

"I see," Kikyou muttered, "It seems that all the powers of your arrows come from the bow itself, not you, therefore the supply is limited. Therefore, when shooting multiple arrows, you are unable to retain the strength of the individual shots."

The archer laughed maniacally, returning the miko's stern gaze with a demonic one of his own. He stared intensely at them, widening his smile until it seemed impossible to remain on his face.

"Not bad, really, not bad…" he commented, looking at Kikyou, "You are an experienced archer who understands the fact that when we're not attacking, we are completely open due to the limitations of our weapon. However, you were smart enough to have your companion open a path for you to attack during my weak moment, which I admit, is very impressive. However, your bow should be at its limit, I suppose?"

Kikyou's eyes widened in surprise when she found her bow cracking. What happened? Why was it giving away at a time like this?

"What did you do?" Kikyou cursed. He looked at her with fake innocence.

"Well, I didn't do anything, really. It is you who failed to notice that the air is overpowered by my bow's dark aura. When you foolishly tried to purify the air that surrounded your arrows, the two extreme powers clashed with each other. Guess where the tension went? Of course your bow took the full hit!" He explained calmly. Kikyou tried to ignore what he said by drawing an arrow at the same time as the archer, but even the slightest try in inserting purity into the arrow caused her bow to snap.

"You are useless, Miko! Let me show you my attack that scars the ground, Sakugan no ya!"

Out of expectations, the arrow was aimed at Inuyasha! When he tried to lash out the Kaze no Kizu to defend himself, his body pulsed and his hair turned black!

Darkness had drawn in.

The black energy swept towards him. Just when he was about to be engulfed in its power, a flash of white and red appeared in front of him, shielding him from the attack.

"Gomen, Inuyasha…" a heavenly voice called to him, "I figured I shouldn't let you nor the Kamikyuu be hurt again…"

"KIKYOU!!!"

* * *

**Fueru no ya**: Multiplying arrow 

**Sakugan no ya**: Rock-drilling arrow

**Kamikyuu**: bow of the gods. More information will be provided in the next chapter

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading the chapter. I hope you liked it! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying that you've read this. Basically, anything that is not a flame or is not extremely disrespectful is greatly appreciated. I have written, on my profile page, a list of reviews that I would like to kindly refuse, so if you are really not sure, please check that out. Anyway, thanks for your support! Next Chapter: Kikyou blocks the arrow that could cut through rocks! What will become of her? Sacrifice. Look forward to it! 


	39. Sacrifice

Motoko Aoyama: Hey all! After a month's wait from the last cliffhanger, here is the next chapter in the new year of 2007! Although it is a bit late now, I wish everyone a happy new year and sincerely hope that you would be able to carry out your new years resolutions (well, the reason that I updated so late was because I was carrying my resolution of working harder in school…it is much more difficult than I had expected ) Anyway, thanks for last chapters reviewers: kikyoufan, ContradictoryOrien, Cethron (you'll see Kikyou's fate in this chapter but I think you can probably guess, right?), Zero-Nightmare (I think I'm somewhat predictable in my stories, so no need to worry), Cold Kikyo, kikyogirl15, False Forgiveness (you got a new penname! Anyway, no worries for MAP, it can wait if things are distressing. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of these chapters), Cerberus, and raccu! Remember, as long as you have a good attitude (i.e. not snapping your head off at me) criticism, comments, or simple notes are all welcome as reviews! Thanks a lot!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha since…er…I just don't own it…

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 38

"Gomen, Inuyasha."

He heard her voice. He wanted to stop her. He wanted to push her away, but all he could do was to reach out towards the flapping sleeves of her white hakui, only to find that it was too far away, out of his reach. He could neither pull her back or to rush in front of her. He stood there watching, just watching, as she ran into the swirl of black that engulfed her, claimed her, and devoured her as if she were nothingness.

"KIKYOU!!!"

His scream rang down the canyon, its echoes causing the others to flinch. All that Miroku could make out of the scene was Inuyasha standing dumbly in front of the orb of dark energy that radiated outwards with a deafening pulse, not even dodging as the debris from the ripping ground swept up to batter him senseless. He collapsed as the energy started to dissipate, his eyes lowered towards the ground so that he could not make out the figures who continued to stand in the storm of dust.

"She's alive?" Sango muttered as the air cleared. The hanyou jerked his head upwards to see the miko who held on desperately to her opponent's bow. Her hakui and hakama were ripped at a dozen places, blood gushing out of her right arm to fall on the ground with a dripping sound, but she was alive, standing, as a proud miko ought to do.

"What?" the enemy spoke. Out of his expectations, his bow's black color started to melt away in a violet glow as if its former hide were only a thin layer of paint. The evil faded from its white, wooden lengths like a retreating shadow, leaving it to glimmer in the starlight.

"The bow you're holding is the Kamikyuu, bow of the gods. It is formed of whitewood that has captured the purity of the ancient moonlight, allowing it to purify the air in its surroundings and form arrows of dense spiritual power. The tainted shikon shard is like a pin that obstructs the movement of a heavy wheel; although the Kamikyuu's power is much greater than what could be supplied by a single shard, this small bit of evil was enough to cause the bow's natural flow to be disrupted, making its power of good to become the opposite power of darkness. I've finally noticed it when you unleashed the Sakugan no ya; the shriek that sounded like the wind was nothing other than the scream of the Kamikyuu…" Kikyou explained.

"And you didn't die of the attack because you purified the shikon shard before the attack hit you, Miko?"

"That is partially correct. Because I was able to touch the shikon shard before I was struck, the attack wasn't fatal. However, purification is a process that takes a certain amount of time; therefore the attack was still executed, though its powers were considerably diminished."

Kikyou smiled as she pried the bow away from the enemy, leaving him barehanded in the night. She had not come out of battle unscathed, but it was her victory, her victory and that of her companions…

…that of Inuyasha…

Her strength drained from her as the crimson fluid, black in the darkness, dripped out silently. She collapsed in Inuyasha's arms, the arms that had not weakened in his human state, but became warmer, kinder…

…just as they were in the past.

As she closed her eyes, she was happy that she had once again won a battle with him by her side.

* * *

"Is she okay?" Shippou asked as they all rushed towards the miko. The enemy took the chance to leave, but Sango stopped him as she flew her hiraikotsu in his path. When the taijiya got up to pursue him, Inuyasha stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.

"Youkai like me heal fast, so I don't know what to do with her wounds. Please take care of Kikyou in my stead. I'll be back."

Although Shippou would've wanted to criticize his use of the word youkai (how Inuyasha was not a youkai but a hanyou, technically), he be quiet as he could feel his companion's pride. Even in his human form, Inuyasha retained the inner strength that had propelled him for so long, kept him standing and fighting after all the hardships he had undergone.

Shippou trusted him. Sango, Miroku, and even Kagome (when she was around) trusted him as well.

They watched him vanish with the growing distance, knowing that he would come back victorious like he had always done.

* * *

The enemy tried to creep up the canyon walls and escape out of the dead end that he had created for the battle, but he found that it was much more difficult than he had expected. Keeping as quiet as possible, he ran from shadow to shadow, concealing himself, or so he thought.

"Looks like I've found you," Inuyasha spoke calmly as they stood on a relatively wide platform on the canyon wall. The enemy backed away as he approached, whipping out a short dagger when he reached the edge.

"I'll kill you, Hanyou!" he yelled, cowering fearfully.

"Oh…what a nice plan, but too bad it ain't gonna work!"

Inuyasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, whipping the battered katana in a wide arc to intercept the dagger. A spark emitted as the blades clashed in a clang, lighting up the scene temporarily. The enemy was able to dodge another strike and step back up to the middle of the platform where they exchanged a few more blows until the weapons were locked.

Skillfully, Inuyasha swept his sword out of the dagger's lock and swung it at the opponent's neck. The enemy screamed as he blocked the strike with his arm, only to find that his arm was not cut by the impact.

"You sword is dull?" he asked in a mocking manner. His confidence rose rapidly as he ran towards the hanyou with his dagger. Inuyasha swept his sword in defense, only to have it caught in the opponent's left hand. The dagger plummeted towards his abdomen, and only at the last moment, he was able to leap above the strike and somersault above the danger.

But as a consequence, he had to leave his sword behind, which lay in the enemy's grasp.

"And now you don't even have a dull sword!"

With a kick, the Tetsusaiga lay at the bottom of the canyon. The enemy's next blow was fast, causing Inuyasha to dodge only by a millimetre, and at the sweep that the enemy's blade had followed through, the hanyou could do nothing but to intercept it with his flesh.

He caught the blade with his left hand much like his enemy had done, but it was a real blade, and it was painful.

But he couldn't lose, not when Kikyou had protected him. He must be the one to protect her now, the way he should've done long ago.

Instead of thinking that she would betray her. Instead of stealing the jewel from the shrine. Instead of it all, he should've trusted her and protected her from Naraku.

"I will not lose," Inuyasha muttered even as the blood ran down his hand, "because I can't afford to fail her again!"

His right hand touched the sheath of the Tetsusaiga, causing it to summon the lost blade. As the first light of morning touched the cloudy skies, his body pulsed, his silver hair returned, his claws touched the hilt of his sword.

The blade enlarged, the wind scar lighted up the weapon and flashed in the dawning atmosphere.

It all ended with a dissipating scream.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Okay, I know this chapter is somewhat boring, but exciting things must be resolved so I really couldn't help it. Thanks for staying with me and reading it all although it wasn't all that wonderful. Anyway, please continue to support this fic by being so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions and just a note saying that you've read this. Remember that the pairing suggestions are still ongoing! Besides Inu/Kik and San/Mir (which I've decided personally), the rest of the characters are still up for your opinions, which really matters, I ensure you! Anyway, thanks again for reading. Have fun this winter! Next Chapter: With a new bow in her hands, the recovered miko continue her journey with her friends and her returned disciple, Kagome. As a new arc begins, one that brings back the sorrow from a certain character's past, can the gang face the incoming dangers that will befall them? Chapter 39 – Ghost Town. Look forward to it! 


	40. Ghost Town

Motoko Aoyama: AHH!! I'm very, very sorry for not updating for like…almost half a year. I have been so caught up with real life and updating my other stories, but yes, I know this isn't an excuse for not updating, therefore, I'll try to make this chapter better and update sooner next time. Thanks to everyone's enthusiasm, this story has reached the big 400 reviews number! I know it isn't a lot for some other writers out there (glares at dear SugarPink who is probably laughing if she reads this comment…), but it does mean a lot to me. To me, this is your recognition for my work, and it is this recognition that keeps me writing even to this date. Thank you so much, everybody! I'm planning on making an omake chapter when this fic reaches the 500 reviews mark, so keep it coming! Your every word means a lot to me and, seriously, it is my fuel to write! Now, let me thank my dear reviewers from last chapter: SagaMoon (I will try updating Fukai Mori soon. Keep a look out for it!), spedclass (thanks for reviewing every chapter!), ContradictoryOrien, Zero-Nightmare (my story is pretty predictable, haha, but hope it suits your tastes anyway), kikyogirl15, Cethron (I'll try to make this longer!), Cold Kikyo, Cerberus (lol, that type of ghost town! That is pretty cool, maybe I'll do a little omake at the end of this chapter with your idea! Consider it as my apology for updating so late!), and Miko2 (don't worry about it. Update whenever you have time!). Thanks everybody!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Don't sue me! I'm still on student loans!

* * *

**A Different Journey**

Chapter 39

"This is not good…she is losing too much blood!" Sango screamed as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding on Kikyou's arm. She ripped apart the cloth that Miroku had handed her, but when she pulled away the soaked up fabric to replace it with more cloth, the wound would open again, causing the bleeding to be more violent.

At that moment, Shippou, who was on guard outside, screamed into the cave that they used as a makeshift shelter, "Look who's back!"

"Oh…if it is just Inuyasha, then we might as well ignore him. It's not as if he can do better than Sango when it comes to treating Kikyou-sama's wounds," Miroku stated.

"No! It is Kagome! She must've come through the well again because Kirara is bringing her back!" Shippou called. Miroku immediately ran out into the night to see the large flaming youkai soaring above them with the modern miko on its back. The blazing paws lit up the night enough for Kagome to make out the figures beneath, so she urged Kirara to land in front of the cave entrance.

"What's wrong? Why are all of you in this dead-ended canyon?" Kagome asked.

"It's a long story, but you should go see Kikyou-sama first. She is really badly injured!" Miroku exclaimed.

Kagome nodded and ran into the cave to see that Sango was tending to Kikyou's wounds in the dim firelight. Immediately, she took out the heavy-duty flashlight which she brought from home and turned it on to make the cave better lit.

"Where is she injured?" Kagome asked hurriedly. Sango gestured to the wounds as she answered.

"There is a long gash, about a hand's length, along her right arm. It is quite deep. I'd bet I can fit my entire nail into the wound. Besides that, she also has a cut along her left shin that is two hand's length but not very deep. There are also other scratches here and there, but I've managed to get those to stop bleeding," Sango explained. Kagome nodded to what the taijiya said and took out her first aid kit to scavenge some dressings. Without much thought, she ripped apart the packaging of the 700 yen sterile abdominal pad and stuffed it onto Kikyou's arm wound.

"Sango, please hold onto the pad and don't let go of it. When it is all soaked up, tell me," Kagome said, then added once again, "Don't remove the pad even when it is soaked or else her wound would reopen!"

"Alright. I understand," Sango answered.

Kagome ripped apart another abdominal pad and handed it to Sango who added it atop of the old dressing. After placing about 5 of those expensive sterile pads, the blood stopped seeping through.

"The bleeding stopped! The bleeding stopped!" Sango called to the modern miko who smiled in return.

"Good, but don't let go just yet. I'll have to bandage the wound to maintain pressure on the dressings," Kagome answered. She took out five triangular bandages from the kit and folded them into long, broad pieces. Before she did the bandaging, she checked Kikyou's nail beds to see that they were refilling properly. After she pressed on the miko's nails, the color returned within two seconds, a sign that she still had good circulation.

"Although the wound is deep, it doesn't seem to have damaged the bone or anything. As long as the bleeding is stopped, she should be fine," Kagome said. She wrapped the broad bandages atop the dressings very tightly and then checked the nail beds again. Despite the pressure, the circulation was still good, meaning that the bandaging should be doing its job.

"Sango, you may let go now. I think the bandages are going to keep the pressure on the wound," Kagome ordered. The taijiya carefully lifted her hands, holding her breath until three seconds later when she released it in a sigh upon seeing that the bandages remained the same dull, yellowish color.

"Oh, Kami-sama. Thank you for saving Kikyou-san!" Sango said rather loudly.

"Yes. I made sure the dressings were non-adhesive, so by tomorrow, we can remove the bandaging and see if the wound has healed enough for us to remove the dressings. We'll have to be very careful though, because the blood would clot onto the dressing so if we move it, it may bleed again. Now, let us tend to the other small wounds. For those, I think we can just wash with saline solution then put on some antibiotic ointment before applying a Band-Aid."

"What is a Band-Aid?" Shippou asked curiously. Sango turned to see that the two males have entered the cave as well.

"A Band-Aid is a little sticky bandage that holds a little dressing to the wound. It is really convenient for small wounds. Come, Shippou, let us help Kikyou together!"

* * *

The first light of morning appeared along the horizon, making the land glimmer in a shade of golden while the rest of the sky appeared to be turquoise, slowly transitioning to a bright blue. The mountains that surrounded the valley loomed above them in black silhouettes against the early light, giving them a dooming, yet secure feeling. Kagome was the first to awake as she lay at the opening of the cave, having fallen asleep sometime last night when she was watching the stars outside. The sunlight shone through her eyelids in a reddish glow that shifted her from her slumber, making her open her eyes only to meet with a blur of red.

"Whoa!" Kagome yelled in surprise, but her mouth was sealed by a hand that was shoved into her face.

"Can you be a little quieter in the morning? You are going to wake up Kikyou!" the owner of the red clothes said. Kagome glanced upwards to see the silver-haired hanyou's annoyed face above her. Angered at the expression, she pried off the hand.

"What!? Don't you have anything nicer to say than telling me to shut up early in the morning, Inuyasha? The moment I came back, I treated Kikyou's wounds until late into the night. After catching an hour of sleep, or something like that, you wake me up and yell at me! Do you have a problem or what!?" Kagome yelled.

"I didn't fucking wake you up, Moron! You are the one who's so damn stupid to sleep at the cave opening! Can't you see that you are facing east? Duh the sunlight would be shining in your face and waking you up! The sun doesn't rise from the west, ya know!" Inuyasha retorted.

"Fine, you didn't wake me up, but what in the world are you doing yelling at me the moment I open my eyes? Can't you at least show a bit of appreciation for my work?"

"Your work? You think you did so damn much for Kikyou when I was away, huh? Well, you know why I was gone the whole night? I was working my ass off to make sure that everybody is safe. If you are so damn unhappy about it, then go back to your cozy little home with whatever electricity that you keep on talking about! Nobody wants you to come back!"

Kagome had enough of it. Just when she was about to pack up and go, she noticed that her face was moist. She wasn't crying though. Why would it be moist?

She reached up to touch the liquid with her fingers. When she moved her hand down, she saw that her skin was tainted crimson.

That moisture…it was Inuyasha's blood…it was the blood that he left behind when he clasped his hand on her mouth.

"Baka…don't clasp your bloody hand on other people's mouth," Kagome muttered, causing Inuyasha's golden eyes to soften. He had known her for some days now and he understood that she was stubborn and wouldn't admit it when she did something wrong. Not that he cared anyway. In front of Kikyou, Inuyasha was just like Kagome…never admitting his faults, never apologizing.

"Yeah, yeah…I'll remember that next time," Inuyasha replied, walking off towards Kikyou who was lying on a stone outcrop at the rear of the cave.

"Aren't you going to let me look at your wound first?" Kagome asked.

"It's fine, I heal quickly. I do thank you for helping Kikyou though," Inuyasha replied when he squatted beside Kikyou. Making sure that he was using his uninjured hand, he swept away a stray strand of hair that resided on the miko's flawless face. He moved down along Kikyou's shoulders to touch the bandages that were wrapped on the miko's arm.

"Gomen, Kikyou. Next time, I'll not let you be injured again…"

* * *

The day wore on lazily and soon Shippou, Kirara, Sango and Miroku woke up as well to the smell of food cooking by the campfire. This time, Kagome wasn't cooking instant noodles! She was actually trying to cook spaghetti!

"Are you sure this sa-pa-ge-te thing would cook properly? It looks like baked grass to me!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Of course it would cook properly! Just you watch! I'm sure it would amaze you!" Kagome snapped at the hanyou. At that moment, the other three, plus the pet youkai, crawled over to the pot that hung over the campfire to watch the stiff, yellow thin sticks start to soften in the hot water until they vanished into the hot water bath. With her chopsticks, Kagome stirred the pasta so that they cooked more evenly.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Beautiful, just like you, Kagome-chan!"

**Slap**

"Serves you right, pervert. Good job in keeping his hand off you, Kagome!"

Inuyasha left the others by the campfire as he went over to Kikyou once more. His footsteps made a faint sound that resounded in the back of the miko's mind as she slept. Her dream was that of grassland, golden in the dying sunlight that shone through the shade of maples. As a fallen leaf brushed by her face, she turned from the blazing river towards the silver-haired hanyou.

"Inu…yasha…" Kikyou called softly, still partially in her dream. The hanyou bent down by the stone on which she slept and gripped her hand.

"I'm here, Kikyou."

The miko opened her eyes to see that she lay inside a cave that was lit by the sunlight from outside. A pleasant aroma of boiling food filled the atmosphere around her, complete with a warmth that seeped through her skin. She tried to get up, but when she placed weight on her right arm, a pain shot up, reminding her of what happened last night.

"Inuyasha, are you hurt?" Kikyou immediately asked when she remembered. She turned to her side to see that the hanyou was beside her.

"I'm fine. I'm a youkai, right?"

"Hanyou you mean…"

"You just have to say that, don't you?"

"Of course…that's the way I like you to be…a hanyou…" Kikyou answered with a smile. Inuyasha softened his wild golden orbs and returned a big grin that showed his cute little fangs. It made the miko giggle.

"I'm so glad you are awake, Kikyou-sama," Miroku addressed the miko, "Kagome-chan has just cooked some food for us. You want to join in?"

"Of course! I'll be right with you!" Kikyou said. Inuyasha was about to stop her from getting up, but Kikyou gave him a gaze that told him she was alright. Instead of putting weight on her right arm, she used her left to support herself up and then walked slowly to the empty spot by the campfire, stumbling a bit because she had to shift her weight away from her injured left leg.

"How are you feeling, Kikyou? Do your wounds still hurt?" Kagome asked, pointing at the bandages on various parts of the miko's body.

"No, they don't hurt anymore. Thank you for helping me, Kagome, and welcome back to the group," Kikyou answered.

"Actually, what happened anyway? How come you got a new bow? It is really pretty, being white and everything, but what happened to the old one?" Kagome asked.

Before Kikyou could answer, both of them felt their hearts pulse with the proximity of a shikon shard. It wasn't just the proximity of the shard; it was the shard's power that permeated through them.

"Someone is using a shard's power…" Kikyou muttered. Kagome nodded in unison.

"What is that smell!?" Inuyasha yelled. Shippou joined him in their fervent sniffing, and then his face turned into that of terror.

"Blood! Lots of it!" Shippou screamed.

"Let's go check this out. Kikyou-sama, do you wish to stay here with Sango?" Miroku suggested.

"No, I'm fine. I would like to come along with everyone else too because strangely, this shard is devoid of evil, yet it is being greatly used. I want to know what is going on," Kikyou explained.

"Fine, I'll protect you, Kikyou. Let's go," Inuyasha said. When they were all out of the cave, even the injured miko, Sango was still sitting inside, her breathing a bit ragged and her eyes slightly dazed.

"Sango-chan, we are leaving…" Miroku stated.

"Ah…yes. I'm coming," the taijiya answered and hurriedly left the cave after everyone else.

* * *

Because they were closed into the valley, they had to fly towards the place of the next shikon shard. Kagome, Sango and Kikyou rode atop of Kirara, but when Miroku tried to get on too, he was heavily slapped by the modern miko.

"No space for you, perverted houshi-sama. Am I right, Sango?" Kagome asked.

Sango didn't answer. She seemed a bit spaced out.

"I guess Miroku will just have to hitch a ride on Inuyasha since upon recovering his full powers, he should be able to leap across the mountain without much difficulty. You won't mind right, Inuyasha?" Kikyou joked. Inuyasha glared at Miroku, but when he saw Kikyou's mischievously shining eyes, he sighed.

"Fine…whatever…"

And so, they set off towards the location of the shard with Kagome giggling along the way about how very absurd Inuyasha looked with Miroku riding on his back. It was totally a borderline R rating.

"I can't believe Inuyasha actually agreed!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Well…Inuyasha is actually really lonely. In the past, nobody ever smiled for him. Humans and demons alike would always look at him with hateful eyes, shunning him from their worlds. He belonged no where, just like his floating heart that was always waiting for someone to cherish as it drifted in an endless sea of painful memories. He must always act tough to protect himself. In reality, he wanted to joke with others. He wanted to do silly things. Even as he put up that disgusted face now, he is actually happy to make us smile. The fact that we are laughing at him in this lighthearted way makes him feel that this is where he belongs," Kikyou muttered.

Upon feeling the presence of the shikon shard in a cluster of houses beneath them, they gestured Inuyasha to leap down from his place above some tree while Kirara lowered itself to the ground as well. Getting off, the two miko found themselves in the middle of a street that was half covered with sand. Along the deserted street were houses with their doors shut tightly though the buildings themselves seem a bit battered anyhow.

"Did a sandstorm just passed or something?" Miroku suggested, looking at the sand on the ground.

"That is not possible. If it were a sandstorm, the sand should be more uniformly spread along the street. By the looks of this, it seems like the sand was brought by people or animals using this street because the sides of the street is lined with this sort of sand. Since the street is so covered, the crowd must have been quite hurried," Kikyou explained.

A door creaked when the wind blew, causing the hanyou to step forward to swing it completely open. Inside was a corpse with blood still gushing out of the dead form.

"Oh, Kami-sama!" Kagome exclaimed at the sight. While she said that, Inuyasha's head swung to the side when he sniffed something…someone running away.

"Stop right there!" Inuyasha cried, drawing his sword towards a shadow that flickered behind the house.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for reading this absurdly long but somewhat pointless chapter. Sighs…getting a new arc started always makes me a bit wordy, but hopefully, the over 3000 words chapter served as a bit of compensation for my slow updating speed. I hope to get the next chapter up asap. Now, here is the omake that I promised for Cerberus-san!

* * *

**Special edition omake!**

"Stop right there!" Inuyasha yelled at the shadow who stopped when the hanyou drew his sword. The silver-haired half-dog continued to speak, "Who are you!?"

Naraku climbs through the house's rear window, tumbling into the dark shelter with his baboon mask half off.

"What's the meaning of peeking at me when I'm changing, Inuyasha?" Naraku questioned loudly, "Can't you see the scenery around you? Can't you imagine riding on a damn handsome horse with a gun slung on your belt? I'm just trying to take off this fucking ugly baboon mask and wear a cowboy hat instead you Moron!"

"I think it's just that your baboon costume makes you a bit too stuffy in this desert climate, Naraku…" Kikyou muttered sarcastically.

"Are you suggesting that I'm hot, Kikyou? Did I hear it right? You are saying that I'm hot, right, right? I love you so much Kikyou!"

Naraku goes to glomp Kikyou only to have Inuyasha interrupt by reaching into Naraku's belt to fish out that gun that he was talking about.

"If you touch Kikyou, I'll shoot you!" Inuyasha yelled, pulling the trigger.

"Spare meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I'm just poor Onigumo… I just want my little precious…precious!"

"Don't play Gollum with us, Baka!" Kagome yelled, "Just shoot him so that we can end the story, Inuyasha!"

"But I like how the story is named after me!"

"It IS NOT!!! This fanfic is called _A Different Journey_. Your anime was discontinued like two years ago!"

Inuyasha sadly shot at Naraku who fell on the ground, bloodless.

"Oops, it is just a toy gun! But why is he dead?" Inuyasha commented.

"Maybe because he is so heartbroken that nobody names their fanfic _Naraku_," Kikyou suggested.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter and the little omake! Thanks for reading! Please be so kind as to leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying that you've read this. As always, everything except for flames is welcome! Next Chapter: They chase after the murderer of all those villagers, but a barrier obstructs their path. Sango disappears. What is happening? Chapter 40 – Slipping Away. Look forward to it! 


	41. Slipping Away

Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for the tremendous support from the last chapter. I managed to update a little sooner…well…a little, haha (sweatdrops). At least it was less than half a year, right? (pouts). Okay, I know I'm not Shippou and I don't look cute enough to whine, so whatever, I just want to announce that I will be offering sneak peaks of the next chapter as I work on it on my MSN group Y.E.A.H. (see my profile for the URL). After you join the group, go to "Documents" at the bottom of the left navigation bar, and you'll be able to see the document entitled "A Different Journey", so if you want to spoil yourself before I finish and upload the chapter, that's where you can go! Now, let me thank my reviewers: AuthorOfthedark (I updated five days after you reviewed!), Mandylion (thank you for the support, but I'm actually female, so…oneesan? Haha, but thanks very much anyway), HinaGuy749 (alright, I'll take your vote into account, so if anybody likes Jinenji, you better suggest before Kagome/Hojo wins the match!), SagaMoon, Cethron, Cerberus, DarkSpiritDemon (you mean the omake? Yeah…it was just intended for a laugh, so it's separate from the main story), Zero-Nightmare (thanks very much for your continuous support. Fight that block, fight!), Cold Kikyo, grace, kikyogirl15, and spedclass! Thanks very much for reading and reviewing!

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Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha, but my name is not Rumiko…that I can disclose!

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 40

Peta…peta…peta…the steps were soft on the sand.

Swoosh, WHAM

Sparks flew in the air, lighting up the room just enough to reveal the crack in the ground where the Tetsusaiga had landed. The shadowy footsteps danced over the fissure and a cold cut was sliced on the hanyou's cheek.

"Ah!" he cried instinctively. A second blow never came.

"Let me aid you, Inuyasha."

Violet streaks burned the air in a brilliant display, but the well-marked trajectories died like falling fireworks in the darkness. Even the sacred bow left nothing but a trail of light-formed arrow shafts whose tips were buried too deep to be seen again.

"Kikyou-sama, please shoot another arrow!"

Another tail of light cut the room at its half, illuminating the surroundings long enough for the running taijiya to see the shadow's position. Debris erupted in a thunderous bang up ahead where the boomerang had hit.

_Please…__let this be you…_

_And tell me you haven't done this…_

The taijiya blasted out of the straw roof at the same time as the shadow. Two blades smashed into each other, ground their metal edges forcefully, and pushed away with the speed of hawks.

_It really is you! _

_Say something!_

"SAY SOMETHING!!!"

He didn't pause. His ears were deaf to her words. He answered by running away.

Kohaku answered by running away.

"Oi, Sango, did you get him?" Inuyasha asked when he came out from the battered building with everyone else following behind him. Sango didn't even answer as she chased after Kohaku, down the sand-piled streets to the forest at the edge of the town. The light became greener and greener just like the floor beside her, but she didn't notice. She continued to chase the glint off his kusari-gama that was the very source of light allowing her to see!

* * *

"What…what is happening?" Kagome asked as she ran behind Inuyasha, Kikyou and Miroku.

"Like hell I know…" Inuyasha snapped sarcastically. Miroku ignored him as he answered.

"Actually…am I the only one who thinks Sango has been acting a bit weirdly since Kikyou-sama and Kagome-chan sensed the shard?" Miroku suggested.

"Now that you mention it, yeah!" Shippou added somewhat meaninglessly, but who could blame him, he was young after all.

Inuyasha stopped in his steps. Amidst the forest's green smell, he tried to pick out the odor of the murderer…it seemed really familiar now that he paid closer attention to the scent.

"Damnit, it's gone!" Inuyasha yelled suddenly while he was sniffing.

"Where did it disappear?" Kagome hurriedly asked.

Inuyasha ran ahead in reply so that everyone followed after him. They cut through the bushes that were obstructing their path, splashed down the mud that reached their ankles at some parts of the woods, but all they ran into was an invisible wall that sent Inuyasha flying back into Kagome and Shippou.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Inuyasha!?" Kagome yelled.

"It's not my damn fault, Stupid Woman!" Inuyasha retorted.

Miroku stepped forward to the spot where Inuyasha was a moment ago and moved his hand in a try to reach beyond the limit, however, his hand won't slip through what seemed to feel like a very tense fluid.

"It's a barrier, Kagome-chan," Miroku answered.

* * *

She was running out of breath; her lungs sucking too hungrily that there was not enough time for the air to reach into her body. Though she can hardly breathe, her legs continued to run no matter how tight and sore they had become. Everything around her was blurry, be it because of her speed or her fading consciousness, but it was fine as long as the center of her vision was still there; the glint that glided off the kusari-gama's smooth surface. It was that light that propelled her; that light that fueled her barely functional self.

The sweat no longer tasted salty nor did it smell like so to her decreasing senses. No wetness could be felt even when the liquid dripped out indiscriminately through any pore in her taijiya uniform. There was no heaviness or lightness in her steps. They were nothing but mechanical movements. It was as though she no longer lived.

It was no longer a chase…it was her destiny. It wasn't about whether or not she wanted to reach him, but that it was something she would do because she would. She had long lost her reasoning. Why was she going after him? What would she do when she did reach him? These questions never crossed her mind as she plummeted forwards with little sense of direction. She could've run right off a cliff if he threw the kusari-gama there, but fortunately, the forest sheltered no such danger.

He finally stopped. She almost forgot to stop as well.

When he turned around, she thought it was she who had gone blind, but even when she can finally breathe again…when her eyes no longer stung from sweat that had finally retreated, the sight was the same.

His eyes were hollow.

That empty glance meeting her eyes were enough to cause her to stumble back. As if to answer her, the familiar white baboon suit and green mask came into the scene with a chuckle that was intentionally long and dragged out.

* * *

"Kikyou, what are you doing!?" Inuyasha called as Kikyou pulled the bowstring of the Kamikyuu backwards to form another arrow of violet light. They parted from the path so that they would not be struck by the purification energy.

"He said it was called the Fueru no ya, didn't he?" Kikyou asked no one in particular. Miroku realized that she was talking about the bandit who had stolen the holy bow previously.

"You mean the attack of multiple arrows?" the monk asked.

Kikyou nodded, releasing the arrow so that it split in the air into four pieces and struck the barrier. Four blue ripples sprung out from the point of impact, hitting each other as they expanded in diameter, but besides the slight disturbance, the barrier was still in tact.

"I have clearly underestimated his power…" the miko muttered. They all widened their eyes as they looked in the bellflower's direction.

"You know who put up the barrier!?" Kagome asked.

"Yes…it is Naraku."

* * *

Motoko Aoyama: Sorry for the short chapter, but I'll be working on the next chapter right away, so check Y.E.A.H. for a sneak peak of what is going to come up next. The group is also dedicated to other forms of writing, so if you are interested in coauthoring with me or a bit of RPGing, then feel free to check it out as well. Okay, enough advertising. So, did you like the chapter? Please tell me by leaving a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying that you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated, thank you very much! Next Chapter: _I'm so close to reaching you, Naraku…I'll avenge for the pain that you've caused Kikyou to endure! _Chapter 41 – A Million Thoughts; please look forward to it! 


	42. A Million Thoughts

MotokoAoyama: Thanks for your kind reviews! Sorry for the late update. For those who have read my profile, you probably know that I've lost my interest in fanfictions for a while, but hopefully I'll be able to pick up my pace again. A big thanks to the reviewers of last chapter goes to: InuKik4Ever (thanks for the motivation!), AuthorOfthedark (hope you have less in your mind now. Thanks for leaving me a note for reading the chapter despite your troubles. It is greatly appreciated), Kanamelover, Cerberus, Princesa de la Luna, Bajo la lluvia y estrellas, Zero-Nightmare, grace, gray-0sno0-bunny, Secret.Night, Cold Kikyo, kikyogirl15, Cethron and crescentbellflower.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, so let's cut this short.

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 41

"The hell with shooting at that barrier, damn it! I'll wham it down with the Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha yelled, ready to slam his sword down at the barrier, but Kikyou's hand brushed against his for a brief moment in a gesture that asked for his trust.

How could he say no to her?

"Remember that something that had happened between myself and Naraku during my journey before I've joined you, Inuyasha?" Kikyou asked. Inuyasha didn't answer. Instead he waited for her to continue, "That something reminded me of who he really is."

* * *

"Naraku…" Sango muttered slowly, each syllable rolling off her tongue in pain. Her sharp eyes narrowed into angry slits while they glared at the hanyou who chuckled in delight at her darkening aura. 

"Nice eyes, Taijiya…I like them," Naraku answered in a light tone, dismissing Sango's questioning posture. The female taijiya knew that the only way she would get anything out of the sly half demon's mouth was through her sword, so without a sign, she leapt forth and released her katana with a battou-jutsu. Little did she expect that Kohaku would intercept with his body. Afraid of harming him, her sword slowed so that he could catch its blade.

His blood stained the silver metal, dripping down quietly onto the forest earth. Each drop that resonated in the air made her heartbeat painful.

It hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.

But it was not time to angst over such things. His kusari-gama soared through the crisp wind to cut her neck, just short of severing her vein. Kohaku's empty eyes felt no sympathy towards her blood. She dodged another blow, jumping behind a tree so that the cut sliced the bark instead of her fragile body. Rolling herself along the trunk, she slipped out of the way just when a second blow sent the entire tree tumbling to the ground with a roar loud as thunder.

As he withdrew the kusari-gama, there was an opening for her to attack. Her well-aimed hiraikotsu stopped the path of his weapon, giving her additional time to reach him. Her left fingers were steadying her katana while she jumped forward, sliding along the spine of the blade while it thrust forward in her brother's direction.

It was an unstoppable force. The movement was fast and fluid, leaving no room for Kohaku to counterattack. Before he could draw back his blade, the katana tip was already on his chest, just above his heart.

Clap…clap…clap…

The sound of Naraku's hands lightly hitting each other echoed off the woods of the forest. Sango glared at him.

"Beautiful finish. Excellent indeed. I'm very impressed," came his reply, his voice as wicked as ever, "But if you don't kill him, he'll keep protecting me. Always, always, forever…"

As though he feared not her blade, Kohaku leapt back from Sango, landing just beside Naraku with his kusari-gama in his hand once more. The evil hanyou bent down beside the young boy and brushed his face with his crooked fingers before continuing again.

"After all, I've saved his life. You've probably guessed by the aura emitted from his shikon shard, Taijiya."

"Liar! You didn't save him! You are…you are using him!" Sango yelled, her eyes fierce with killing intent, "Kohaku, wake up! Do you see what you've done? Don't let him control you anymore!"

Though she said those words, she knew that her brother was not doing any of this by his own will. Those eyes told her more than enough. She had never seen such eyes from her brother before, so cold, heartless, indifferent…they gazed her like two stones.

"Don't worry, Taijiya. I'm not a bad hanyou, I promise," Naraku said with a grin that was partially hidden behind his mask, "I'll return him to you soon…well, under one condition. It isn't much to pay considering the price of his shard."

Sango gasped when the hanyou touched Kohaku's back.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked Kikyou, not understanding what she was doing. Kagome, Miroku and Shippou all looked at the miko as she brought her thumb to her teeth. 

She bit down, drawing a crimson droplet from her skin.

"What are you doing!?" Inuyasha exclaimed, but he silenced himself when Kikyou gave him a smile. He kept quiet, only nodding in reassurance.

The miko pulled on the bowstring of the Kamikyuu, projecting an arrow of violet light. When she brushed her bleeding thumb across the glowing shaft…

They all widened their eyes. The purple luminescence became red under her blood!

"Akai no ya…" she muttered, her deep brown pools opening to the barrier in front of her. Knitting her brows slightly in a gesture of concentration, she slipped her fingers away, sending the crimson streak flying.

The impact caused the blue interference of the barrier to become visible. Ripples spread out from the point of collision, widening, causing the energy to shiver. When the red color intermingled with the blue, staining Naraku's trap with an intense hue, the barrier finally broke down.

"How did you do that, Kikyou-san?" Kagome asked as they ran forward, not wasting any time. Kikyou explained as they followed Inuyasha's lead towards Sango.

"I remembered that Naraku came from Onigumo, the man who lusted for me. Though he is now a hanyou, his yearning is retained. He wants me to come near him. 'Akai no ya' was formed from my blood; it is a piece of me. Therefore, it is able to break through the barrier to him who is reaching out for my presence."

"Feh…" Inuyasha snorted loudly, a bit disgusted at the fact that Naraku lusted for his lover. Wait a second…his lover? All of a sudden, the Inu hanyou's face lit up like a red traffic light.

"What are you thinking now, Baka!?" Kagome snapped.

* * *

"I will never accept that!" Sango yelled after hearing about Naraku's condition. It was at that moment that the others have arrived. 

"NARAKU!!!" Inuyasha screamed, his sword already waiting to attack. Following his voice, he ran forward, yellow light already forming on his blade.

That day fifty years ago. He couldn't forget. The blood on Kikyou's shoulder that made him wince even as he ran away with the Shikon no Tama. That hateful, no…painful, gaze that Kikyou gave him just as he drifted asleep; for fifty whole years of dreams that scene replayed in his mind. He needed not even close his eyes to feel it again. The scar that connected him to his beloved miko…it remained to this very day; only recently had it started to heal.

"I've no time to play with you today, Puppy," Naraku said, launching himself in the sky while clouding Inuyasha's sight with his shouki, "I'll be waiting for you in my castle, Taijiya. I'm sure you'll come…"

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Motoko Aoyama: Sorry for the short chapter. As you all know, I haven't updated my other stories either (for a longer time than this one actually), so I really have to go and update the others now. Hopefully you still enjoyed it nonetheless. I'll try to be back as soon as possible! Please leave a review behind! Anything goes as long as it isn't a flame! I would love to hear from you all regarding this chapter. Also, a proper poll for the preferred side pairing has been placed up on my profile, so please vote! Next installment: _Our hands are callused from holding the shovel. How many more would we have to bury in this earth?_ Chapter 42 – Darkest Night. Please look forward to it! 


	43. Darkest Night

**Seigetsu Ren:** Wow, another half a year! I think you don't want to hear me apologize again, but sorry for the late update! Your support has brought me back, so please continue reviewing! My body runs on reviews, so no reviews would equal brain dead (collapses) Anyway, thanks for keeping my brain running and my fingers typing, Cold Kikyo, spedclass, Chrysolite Heart, grace, kidcrud, raccu, kikyogirl15, InuKik4Ever, Zero-Nightmare, AtemuManaLover, and Mandylion, cosmosxhikaru, and rsporganicdonut! Questions asked in the reviews would be answered in this chapter, so don't worry, they're all going to come in due time! By the way, the poll for the pairings of this fic is up on my profile page. Also, I'll be changing my penname to Seigetsu Ren, so beware of profile link changes. Thanks!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, blah blah blah…

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**The journey thus far: **After Kagome returns to the team, Inuyasha, Kikyou and their friends chase after yet another Shikon shard! They come across a deserted town where Sango catches up to the murderer of the villagers, her brother Kohaku! Their battle leads them into a forest where Naraku proposes a way for Sango to have her brother back under one condition. At that moment, Kikyou breaks through Naraku's barrier with her blood arrow, Akai no ya, and the team runs into the scene. Before Inuyasha's attack could reach Naraku, however, the evil hanyou escapes, telling Sango to meet him at his castle when she decides to accept the deal. Now, the journey will continue again. Are you ready?

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**A Different Journey**

Chapter 42

The last light of dusk faded away into the crimson horizon, causing every figure on the wasted land to become shadows in the night. But under the dim campfire they lit, our heroes continued to work the soil; crushing it under their shovels and throwing it into mounds above the hole they made in the earth. Kagome and Kikyou's work was endless, carrying the bodies from their deserted homes to their grave. The make-shift stretcher they made out of Kagome's picnic cloth and two tree branches sagged dangerously under the weight of the corpses, but that was all they had; all they could do for the deceased.

"Let me help," Sango muttered, holding the middle of one tree branch that made up the stretcher. But the apologetic way she glanced upon the bodies made Kagome and Kikyou refuse her offer.

"You should just rest for a bit, Sango-chan. We can take care of the rest," Kagome told the taijiya. Sango was about to refuse, but when her eyes met with Kagome's, she knew that she was just a burden to them. They all knew of her guilt. They all knew of her feelings. If she insisted, they would just have to worry about her.

The taijiya nodded to Kagome's offer and took a seat on the side of the fresh mounds, watching her friends from afar as they dug and buried. Even as the land became occupied with the numerous graves, the stale scent was still fresh in the air. Wherever she looked, blood was still present; dyes on the walls of houses, caked on the dirt floor.

She couldn't wipe the memory away, the memory of chasing Kohaku and meeting Naraku. Every movement of her legs as she sprinted, every sweep of her arm as she attacked her own brother…they were embedded in her flesh, so deep that the moment she closed her eyes, she could feel her muscles twitch as the thoughts replayed themselves in her mind.

Should she have hesitated to pierce Kohaku's heart?

As she was sitting here, what was Kohaku doing? Was he repeating his sins on another village, on other villages? How many people were dying from his blade? How much of Kohaku's heart was dying with each life he had taken?

But could she stop him?

The shard that was sustaining his life was in Naraku's grasp. If she forcibly took Kohaku with her, he would just die. But if she left Kohaku with Naraku, he would be suffering worse than death. Was there really a resolution besides what the evil hanyou suggested?

"_I'll be waiting for you in my castle, Taijiya. I'm sure you'll come…"_

"Sango-chan? Sango-chan?"

Kagome's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to face the modern girl who was holding out a cup ramen.

"Is that for me?" she asked.

"Of course! You'd be hungry after such a long day. If you don't eat this, Inuyasha is going to steal it…" Kagome whispered, but the dog hanyou immediately retorted.

"Like hell I'd steal your inferior human food!"

"What did you say?"

"**Inferior human**, are you deaf or what!?"

A vein on Kagome's forehead popped up.

"You really don't know what Hell is until you've seen it huh, Inuyasha?"

"Excuse me for not being the epitome of Hellish beauty unlike you, Ugly Bitch."

"**Die die die die die**…"

A thunderous series of body slams ensued for the next few minutes as Feudal Japan experienced a huge earthquake.

"Now now, Inuyasha, don't be bitter over not getting an extra cup ramen from Kagome-chan. Isn't it better if you share mine?" Kikyou asked tenderly. Inuyasha flushed.

"I **said** I don't like human food!" he whined, making Shippou laugh at his girly voice.

Sango forced a smile as she took a bite into her ramen.

All the warmth from her companions weren't reaching her. She was shivering.

Her heart was still freezing in a lengthy winter.

* * *

They retired for the night beside the campfire that was dying down to its last embers, glowing faintly amidst the wavering tongues of smoke tendrils. The taijiya sat there, her eyes not blinking as she stared at the hot coal even though the prolonged exposure to that steady light was blinding. She didn't want to look at her friends. If she looked, her heart would flicker.

_"The shikon shards…"_

That voice haunted her, luring her to finally raise her eyes to her friends who were sleeping deeply across from her.

_"I gave them to Kohaku, to sustain his life…it is only right if you…"_

_**"…exchange this boy with your friend's shards." **_

"I can't!" Sango murmured aloud. She clapped her hands to her mouth as if to stop her voice, but the sound had already permeated the air. However, her friends didn't even stir. Even Inuyasha's snoring was still long and steady.

She couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Kikyou sleeping beside the hanyou. The half-demon's hand was shyly entwined in her raven hair. Atop the miko's chest, resting on her white gi, was the glowing fragment of a sphere hanging from a delicate chain. The Shikon no Tama! Though incomplete, the shards of Kikyou were already exhibiting a powerful aura. Just approaching them was enough for Sango to feel more guilt for what she was doing; its power of purity was amplifying the voice of her conscience.

But the faint darkness in the Shikon, the snickers of demons inside, they were playing on her heart too. Her hands reached out, touching the cool surface, connecting with that evil. It resonated with her desire. It was telling her that this was the only way. This was the right way. Even though she could see the shadow she was casting on the once pink-violet crystal, she held it tighter, tighter, until she gave a short tug so that it chipped from the socket of the chain and into her hand.

Kikyou shifted from the movement. Sango backed away a step, two, until she was subconsciously tumbling backwards. Her heart thumped quickly. There was no time. She had to save Kohaku. She didn't have time to explain!

Turning back, she ran for Naraku's castle.

* * *

**Seigetsu Ren:** Thank you so much for having the patience to continue reading this story despite the infrequent updates. Hope this tight little chapter had fed a bit of your love for Inuyasha, haha. I was quite dissatisfied with the manga ending, so I'm actually looking forward to writing my own version here. Hope you'd feel the same way! Umm…I'll try to update quickly, I promise! Although I might not be able to, I'll definitely try! And if you would be so kind, please leave a review behind, be it constructive criticism, comments, questions, suggestions, or just a note saying you've read this. Anything other than flames is appreciated! Next Chapter: With a thumping heart, she ran for the enemy. For once, she had decided to be selfish. Chapter 43 – Devil's Advocate. Look forward to it!


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